Six months later, the scar on the forehead is still visible under the short-cut hair. Espen Aleksander Evjenth was at the London pub in Oslo on the night of 25 June, and had just gone out on the dance floor when everything went black. – Here there is a titanium plate and scars, he says. Evjenth makes his way to the head, where the bullet hit. On Thursday, it became known that the intelligence service found out about terrorist plans against Scandinavia six days before the Oslo terror attack on 25 June last year. They notified PST, but the Oslo police and the Ministry of Justice were not notified. – Right now it feels like all of this could have been avoided. That I could have avoided being shot, that people could have avoided dying, and that people could have avoided injuries, the mental disorders and everything that has followed in the wake of the terror, says Evjenth to news. Espen Evjenth had just gone out onto the dance floor on the second floor of the London pub. Then he was shot in the head. Photo: Louise Scharff Thommessen / news The news has brought back memories for Evjenth. – It was heavy. And that brings you back a bit to 25 June, to the day it happened. I think a lot of people are thinking about it now again. – People could have avoided dying. He hopes that all the facts will now be on the table, so that the police and the security services can carry out a thorough evaluation of the attack on several bars in Rosenkrantz’ street. An attack Evjenth believes affected even more people than he and the others who were there. – When you attack a certain group in society, it is actually an attack on all of us. I think quite a few people have been hit. – It is extremely important that thorough work is done now, that everything comes on the table and that you learn from it. So those who are supposed to look after our safety can succeed even better in it next time. Two people were killed and 24 injured when Zaniar Matapour shot at several nightclubs in Rosenkrantz’ gate on the evening of the pride celebration in Oslo. An attack on the queer population in Norway, many believe. – Could things have been done differently? Leader Inge Alexander Gjestvang in the association FRI says many in the queer community have reacted with shock, frustration and anger after the news of the PST notice: – Could things have been done differently? Others probably react more inwardly. A lot is about trust in the police, police follow-up, and so on. The entire spectrum of emotions that was present on 25 June 2022 is also present today, he says to news. Gjestvang encourages PST to be open and transparent, so that the committee that will evaluate the police’s handling of the mass shooting gets all the information they need. – We are happy that there is a focus on environments that have LGBT people as enemies. With the hatred we see in connection with pride in particular, it is important that we have police authorities and PST connected so that they are present in those environments where there is a lot of hatred towards LGBT people. Leader Dan Bjørke in Oslo pride. Photo: ISMAIL BURAK AKKAN / news Leader Dan Bjørke of Oslo Pride is shocked that PST was notified of a possible attack in Scandinavia in advance. – This is completely incomprehensible. Oslo pride is the Nordic region’s biggest festival for queer love and diversity, and it is shocking that PST did not notify the police, so that they could put in place the necessary security measures. Could the mass shooting have been prevented? Bjørke is now asking for input to the committee that will evaluate the police and PST’s handling of its mandate. – We expect the PST to lay all cards on the table, and that the investigative committee which will now evaluate the handling of 25 June will be given sufficient mandate and framework to investigate this thoroughly. – We need society to stand with us To news, PST says that there was a warning with so little information that it was difficult to notify the police in Oslo. – We did not receive any information about time, place, person or what was going to happen. If we are to give any information to the police about a possible terrorist attack, then they must be able to do something to stop the attack, says assistant PST chief Hedvig Moe. Assistant manager Hedvig Moe in PST. Photo: ISMAIL BURAK AKKAN / news Marius Dietrichson is the defender of Zaniar Matapour. He believes that as of now it looks like the attack would not have taken place if the intelligence service had not gotten involved. Bjørke in Oslo Pride has a clear appeal to the police and the rest of society. – We need society to stand with us and send a clear signal that Norway should be a country where everyone can be who they are and love who they love. Then the police authorities must also assure us that they take our perspectives and challenges seriously. They must earn that trust after yesterday’s revelations.
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– Feels like I could have avoided being shot – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
