Zaniar Matapour: Oslo Suspect Named in London Pub Shooting

Zaniar Matapour is the accused mass shooter at an Oslo, Norway, gay nightclub, as well as other locations.

According to VG, a Norwegian-language site, the suspect is Matapour, 42, and he has been arrested in connection with the mass shooting that occurred partly outside a bar in Oslo, Norway, on June 24, 2022.

Two people died and 21 people were injured in the mass shooting, according to the site. The Sun reported that Matapour is an “Iranian refugee.” He has also used the name Samuel Steffa, according to RB, which added that the suspect is accused of “murder, attempted murder and terror.”

Jonas Gahr Støre, Norway’s prime minister, wrote on Facebook:

The shooting outside a London pub in Oslo tonight was a cruel and deeply shocking attack on innocent people. My thoughts go out to those affected and their relatives. We still don’t know what was behind this horrible act, but to the skewers who are now scared and in grief, I want to say, we all stand with you.

Here’s what you need to know:

Matapour, Who Has a Criminal History, Sympathized With ISIS, Authorities Say

Matapour “opened fire at three different locations in Oslo, Norway, during Pride month celebrations,” The Sun reported. Those locations were London Pub gay club, the Herr Nilsen jazz club and a “takeaway food outlet,” according to The Sun.

According to VG, Matapour has a criminal history that includes convictions for aggravated assault and drug possession. Attempted murder charges were dropped.

In a press conference, PST Chief Roger Berg said the suspect has a “long history of violence and threats,” according to VG.

The site reported that, according to authorities, Matapour has been on police radar since 2015, “with concern that he was then radicalized and part of an extremely Islamist contact network in Norway.”

He sympathized with ISIS, according to that site.

According to NRK, “In 1999, he was first sentenced to 10 months in prison for stabbing at a nightclub. When the appeal went to the Court of Appeal, he was acquitted on several of the charges.”

Two Men Died in the Attack

According to NRK, which is also a Norwegian-language site, the victims are “two men in their 50s and 60s.” Their names have not been released.

The site reported that authorities “consider the shooting an extreme Islamist terrorist act.” That site reported that authorities had spoken with the suspect in May 2022 because he “was demonstrating against a group that burned the Koran on the streets of Oslo.”

Authorities are investigating whether the shooting is a hate crime or political violence, according to NRK, which added that the suspect’s mental health issues are being investigated.

Matapour Has Worked as a Plumber

According to The Sun, Matapour has worked as a plumber. He was born in Kurdistan, moving to Norway at age 12.

“In 1993, he and his family moved to Ammerud, where he completed secondary school before starting at Stovner upper secondary school,” RB reported, adding that he did not complete high school but was involved in sports growing up but also used drugs.

Acting Norwegian security service chief Roger Berg called the shootings an “extreme Islamist terror act,” according to NBC News.

Police said a handgun and an automatic weapon were used in the mass shooting, NBC reported.

Eyewitness Olav Roenneberg told Norwegian television station NRK that he “saw a man arrive with a bag,” before “he picked up a gun and started to shoot,” NBC reported.

“First I thought it was an air gun. Then the glass of the bar next door was shattered and I understood I had to run for cover,” he said.

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