In June 2022, an Iranian man shot into a gay bar in Oslo in cold blood. Two people died and 21 were injured. Now the trial against the assassin Zaniar Matapour (44) has started – and the Islamist is causing a stir on the very first day.
Matapour demanded that the judge interrupt the trial during Ramadan. “Ramadan is holy for us,” he said. “The courts also close during the Christian and Jewish holidays.” Judge Eirik Aas rejected the application. He saw no conflict between the Islamic holidays and the trial.
The defendant himself pleaded not guilty. Public prosecutor Sturla Henriksboe described the attack as a “cowardly act against innocent people”. Matapour faces life imprisonment if convicted.
The Islamist had pledged allegiance to ISIS before the attack. A Pakistani Islamist preacher who grew up in Norway is said to have been involved in the plotting of the attack. He was arrested in Pakistan in autumn 2022. It is not yet clear when his trial will start.
Prozess gegen Oslo-Attentäter: Islamist fordert Sonderbehandlung wegen Ramadan | Exxpress
