On February 21 this year, a 40-year-old man opened fire at an Ikea store in Furuset, Oslo, with an automatic rifle.
The man was arrested in a car in Romerick the same evening and has been in police custody since February 23.
At the end of May, the Oslo District Court decided to release the man, but the prosecution appealed the decision – which was upheld.
On Wednesday, the man again sought release from custody.
– After the investigation, the police have sent their recommendations for prosecution. The man’s defense attorney, Østein Storrvik, tells Dagbladet that as we see it, there is no longer a concrete need for a prison sentence, so we believe that consideration for the accused and his family should be given more weight.
Looking for new ways after release
The court will not acquit
After Wednesday’s detention meeting, it emerged that the court would not acquit the accused.
The 40-year-old will be jailed for another four weeks. This was revealed in a ruling by the Oslo District Court on Wednesday afternoon.
The prosecution sought an extension of his jail term as they felt that his release would hurt the public’s sense of justice and create insecurity in the society.
– The serious matter of attempting to kill with a firearm in a public place where people and cars are moving, both of which have considerable potential for danger and harm. But also to the general public at large. Police lawyer Ann Marie Hustad tells Talkblade that an acquittal would be apt to offend the public’s sense of justice and create insecurity.
Hustad insists the case has not changed since the appeals court ruled on the sentencing issue on June 2.
– Unacceptable
There are 3 accused in this case.
The man has been charged with attempted murder. He has always admitted that he was the one who fired at Furucet on the evening in question, but denies criminal responsibility for attempted murder.
Dagbladet previously noted that the man must have been pressured for money by people previously connected to the B-gang, a popular actor in the gang environment in Oslo.
Million conflict with gang profile
During a detention meeting at the end of May, the accused gave a detailed account of his own experience of the incident.
– It was not my intention that anyone should die, he pointed out that he shot to scare.
He repeated the same in Oslo District Court on Wednesday:
– My family and I have been living with serious threats from the criminal environment for a long time. It drove me crazy. (…) I certainly agree that no shootings should take place outside of Ikea. It’s totally unacceptable – even if it’s not killed, he says he wants to live a “peaceful and quiet A4 life”.
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