Norway man armed with bow and arrow arrested after killing 5 people, police say

Two other people were wounded and hospitalized in intensive care, including an officer who was off duty and inside the shop where the attack took place, police said.

A man armed with a bow and arrows killed five people Wednesday near the Norwegian capital of Oslo before he was arrested, authorities said.

The police chief in the town of Kongsberg said there was “a confrontation” between officers and the assailant, but he did not elaborate. Two other people were wounded and hospitalized in intensive care, including an officer who was off duty and inside the shop where the attack took place, police said.

“The man who carried out the act has been arrested by the police, and there is no active search for more people. Based on the information we have, there is one person behind this,” Police Chief Oeying Aas said.

Acting Prime Minister Erna Solberg described the attack as “gruesome” and said it was too early to speculate on the man’s motive. The prime minister-designate, Jonas Gahr Stoere, who is expected to take office Thursday, called the assault “a cruel and brutal act” in comments to Norwegian news agency NTB.

Police were alerted to the attack around 6:30 p.m. and arrested the suspect about 20 minutes later. The community is 66 kilometres southwest of Oslo.

According to police, the suspect walked around the city shooting at people with arrows.

The man has not been questioned yet, Aas said.

City officials invited people who were affected by the attack and their relatives to gather for support at a local hotel.