Before the Oslo shooting on 25 June, an agent, on assignment for E-tenesta, claimed to be a leader in the terrorist group IS. He is said to have learned about possible plans for a terrorist attack against Scandinavia. Zaniar Matapour is charged with terrorism after the fatal shooting in Oslo in the summer of 2022. Matapour’s defender, Marius Dietrichson, now demands that the secret agent of E-tenesta, and the Islamist he was in contact with, testify in the trial against Matapour. This is revealed in the evidence assignment that news has been given access to. Dietrichson also demands that the minutes of the 108 meeting between the agent and the lead officer be presented. – It is not satisfactory that this is all we have learned. We need to know what the agent has said, what instructions he has received, and what he has learned. We must gain insight into this, says Dietrichson. Photo: the police The trial will start next week. On 25 June 2022, Zaniar Matapour (44) fired 19 shots in the vicinity of the queer suburb London Pub. Two people were killed and nine injured. Several people are accused in the case, including Arfan Bhatti. He pleads not guilty. The trial starts on 12 March and will last until 16 May. The court will then decide on two central questions, according to Dietrichson: Was Matapour responsible during the incident, and what did E-tenesta do in advance of the terrorist attack. The latter has been a contentious topic in the case. E-tenesta notified PST that something was in the pipeline for 25 June. The prosecution has notified two witnesses from the E-service in the case, the operative leader of the operation and the head of the service. The two are not enough for Matapour’s defenders. Dietrichson demands that all the source drivers of E-tenesta, who have been in direct contact with the agent, testify in the case. He also demands that minutes of the meeting be presented. And he also wants the accused IS woman to testify. She is staying abroad, and will not comment. – If it is the case that the state intervened here, and facilitated the incident, it is something that civil society has a serious right to know about, says Dietrichson, and continues: – Secrecy around this, as it has been up to day, does not stand up. Here, civil society’s demand for transparency must come to the fore. The Storting’s control body for the secret services examined the work of the E-service before the shooting. They found no basis for criticism. – Wants to turn the focus away State Attorney Sturla Henriksbø will prosecute the case for the prosecution. He emphasizes that the case to be brought before the court is about Zaniar Matapour and the incident on 25 June. – Matapour armed himself and shot innocent people on the open street in Oslo. It is understandable that the defender wants to turn the focus away. State prosecutor Sturla Henriksbø will prosecute the case for the prosecution Photo: Jon Petrusson / news Henriksbø, on the other hand, agrees that they would ideally have had more information from E-tenesta. – We could have put even more puzzle pieces in place, but it may not be the pieces that would play the biggest role in the case against Matapour. But he believes that the case will probably be clarified with the witnesses who have been called in. – As regards Zaniar Matapour’s role and actions, the case will be sufficiently disclosed.
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Matapour’s defenders demand that the secret agent testify in the trial – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
