Norway attack victims were stabbed to death, say police

The victims in the attack were stabbed, officials said

Police Inspector Per Thomas Omholt holds a press conference in Kongsberg, Norway (Terje Bendiksby / NTB)

The five people killed in Norway last week allegedly by a Danish man were stabbed, police officials have said.

The 37-year-old attacker Andersen Braathen used bow and arrows to injure the victims and then allegedly killed them by stabbing them with an undisclosed weapon at the Coop Extra supermarket in the town of Kongsberg, police inspector Per Thomas Omholt said on Monday.

The attack took place on Wednesday last week in the Norwegian town, southwest of the capital.

Mr Omholt said: “When it comes to weapons, we have previously stated that a bow and arrow has been used. Other weapons that have been used are stabbing weapons.”

“We don’t want to go out with what kind of stabbing weapons were used as all witnesses at the scene haven’t been questioned yet,” the police inspector said.

Officials confirmed that Mr Braathen has confessed to the killing and has been charged for five murders from the incident.

The mental condition of the accused’s illness is being considered as the likely cause behind the killing, Mr Omholt said, citing the police force’s assessment.

“So far, all indicators are that these victims were randomly picked,” the police inspector said. The victims lived on the same street and came from a community of artists, local reports stated.

Norway’s domestic intelligence agency has alleged that the police response to the attack was too slow, pressing for demands of an independent investigation into the delay in capturing the attacker.

The supermarket reopened four days after the attack on Monday, calling it a “tragic incident” that had affected its employees, and that the main focus was now to care of them.