The lawyer of the man suspected of opening fire in a mosque in Norway says his client is not cooperating with investigators.
“He is exercising his right not to be interrogated,” the lawyer said Monday. “He is not admitting any guilt.”
The suspected gunman, 21-year-old Philip Manshaus, appeared in court Monday to face charges of attempted murder and murder in connection with last Saturday’s attack outside of the capital, Oslo.
His face and neck were covered with bruises and he had two black eyes.
No one was killed at the mosque, but hours later police found the body of the gunman’s stepsister at another location.
In addition, the mosque shooting is being treated as an attempted terror attack. Rune Skjold, Oslo deputy police inspector, said Sunday, police have discovered evidence of the gunman’s “right-wing extremist views” and alleged hostility against immigrants.
There were only three people at the al-Noor Islamic Center when Manshaus entered the place of worship Saturday.
He began shooting at two men, but another man, a 65-year-old retired Pakistani Air Force officer, was able to tackle the gunman.
Mohammad Rafiq, the retired military officer, told Reuters in a video interview, that when he tackled the gunman “the pistol and the gun fell away.”
Rafiq suffered minor injuries.
Irfan Mushtaq, the head of the mosque, entered the scene shortly after the shooting. He told AFP that he saw “one of our members is sitting on the perpetrator. . . ”
Skjold said the people in the mosque showed “great courage.”
“There is no doubt that the swift and firm response from the persons inside the mosque stopped the aggressor and prevented further consequences,” Skjold said. “Trying to neutralize an armed person is always dangerous.”
Rafiq’s age had mistakenly been reported earlier as 75.
