Armed man at mosque in Porsgrunn arrested – pointed pistol at witness
A man with a pistol caused panic at a mosque in Porsgrunn on Saturday evening. He was later arrested at a private address nearby.
Armed man arrested near mosque in Porsgrunn
A man armed with a pistol caused severe disturbance at a mosque in Porsgrunn on Saturday evening, according to nettavisen.no.
Several worshippers were gathered for prayer inside the mosque when the man approached outside with a firearm. An eyewitness, Omar Ahmad Aldobbi, told Nettavisen that the man pointed the pistol directly at a witness.
– A man came walking with a pistol, says Aldobbi.
The witness fled the scene and called the police. On the way, he warned Aldobbi.
– He has a pistol and will shoot people, the witness is reported to have said, Aldobbi recounts.
The man with the pistol approached the witness and ordered him to go into the mosque.
Major police operation
Shortly after, police arrived with significant resources. Several armed officers and an ambulance came to the scene. Police cordoned off the entire mosque and asked people to remain indoors while the search for the man continued.
According to Aldobbi, a woman and two children were outside the mosque when the man arrived. They became frightened and went inside immediately. Those inside the mosque reportedly did not know what was happening outside.
The man fired no shots, Aldobbi states.
Arrested at private address
The man was later arrested at a private address nearby, and police seized a firearm. According to police, the man did not intend to threaten the mosque as such.
On Saturday evening, the man had not yet been assigned a defence lawyer, but was remanded in custody and transferred to the jail in Grenland. He is to be questioned on Sunday, police told Nettavisen.
Cameras installed
Aldobbi recounts that the incident made a strong impression on those present. The mosque is already aware of security risks and has installed several cameras, both inside and outside. It has not yet been disclosed whether the perpetrator was recorded on these recordings.
Source: Google News DK — Crime (da)