OSLO: A man using a bow and arrow killed four people and wounded several others in attacks in the Norwegian town of Kongsberg on Wednesday.

“The man has been apprehended ... from the information we now have, this person carried out these actions alone,” police chief Oeyvind Aas told reporters.

He said police were investigating the incident from all angles, including terrorism.

The attacks took place over “a large area” of Kongsberg, a municipality of about 28,000 people in south-eastern Norway, 68 km from the capital, Oslo.

Following the attacks, the police directorate said it had immediately ordered officers nationwide to carry firearms. Norwegian police are normally unarmed, but officers have access to guns and rifles when needed.

“This is an extra precaution. The police have no indication so far that there is a change in the national threat level,” the directorate said in a statement.

Norway’s minister of justice and public security received updates on the attacks and was closely monitoring the situation, the ministry said.

Published in Dawn, October 14th, 2021