Prosecutor Aud Kinsarvik Gravås asked on 14 May for 30 years in prison and detention for terrorist suspect Zaniar Matapour. They also asked for a 20-year minimum term. The court, led by chief judge Eirik Aass, on Thursday agreed with the prosecution in this regard. Zaniar Matapour has been sentenced for aggravated terrorism, to 30 years in prison, with a minimum term of 20 years. Matapour’s defense attorney, Marius Dietrichson, asked for a full acquittal for his client. Dietrichson believes Matapour is insane. In this case, you can read about: Sentencing For nine weeks, the prosecution and defense argued for and against whether Matapour was guilty of aggravated terrorism or not. The court has found it proven that the attack on 25 June 2022 was an act of terrorism. In the question of whether Matapour should receive 30 years in prison, the court has emphasized the great physical and psychological harm inflicted on the aggrieved. In addition, the consequences of the shooting were great, also outside the circle of those who were directly affected. Therefore, Matapour receives the law’s strictest punishment. Matapour has also been sentenced to detention, although he has not previously been convicted of a similar crime. This is because the court believes there is a significant risk that he will commit serious crime again. The court believes that Matapour showed no remorse during the trial, which is also emphasized in the judgement. Both the criminal allegation from the prosecution, as well as the verdict that came today, are historic. Never has anyone received such a long prison sentence in Norway. The appeal question Prosecutor Aud Kinsarvik Gravås tells news on Thursday that the aim of the trial was to provide as many answers as possible to what happened. – And to place responsibility where it belongs. The sentence we received today is a step in the right direction, says Gravås. Defense attorney Marius Dietrichson tells news that they have not yet considered whether they want to appeal the verdict or not. – We must of course go through the judgment in detail, before we can answer whether it will be appealed or not, says Dietrichson, before adding: – But it will probably go in the direction of me asking my client to consider appealing. I had expected a deeper and more analytical approach than what I can see in the judgment. I think it’s in the cards that my advice would be – he should appeal it. Marius Dietrichson is the defender of Zaniar Matapour. Photo: Tobias Sakrisvold Martinsen / news Sanity In his closing proceedings, defense attorney Marius Dietrichson said that he is asking for an acquittal for Matapour. The defender argued, among other things, that he believes Matapour is insane. The court therefore did not agree with Dietrichson in this. The court believes it is clear that Matapour knew what he was doing when he planned and carried out the terror. The court does not decide whether he was mentally ill at the time of the crime, because they believe that he must be considered criminally sane in any case. Arfan Bhatti The court believes that Bhatti’s actions are important in assessing the background to the attack, and points out that it is clear that there is a “close relationship” between Matapour and Arfan Bhatti. It is indicated that Bhatti referred to Matapour as his good friend. It is indicated that the two had a fairly extensive message thread and conversations on WhatsApp, in the period 15 October 2021 to 8 June 2022. Many were about everyday things. Eventually the messages also had religious content, and Bhatti shared religious texts. “Matapour and Bhatti had very extensive contact, and obviously a close and confidential relationship in the time before the attack took place,” the judgment states. The court believes it is proven that Matapour sent an audio file pledging allegiance to IS, a baya, to Bhatti ahead of the attack. The day before the attack, Matapour was at a restaurant in central Oslo. When he was arrested on the night of 25 June, it was with a note that is supposed to be from this restaurant visit. On this note were, among other things, two numbers for Arfan Bhatti, as well as two other men who have been charged in the case. The note also contained Arabic characters. These have been examined by the expert witness Thomas Hegghammer, who believes that there are references to Koranic verses that have been used by IS to take the oath of allegiance. The court believes that the connection between the Koranic references and the attack is obvious. Video released by police. The video shows Zaniar Matapour’s movements during the terrorist attack on 25 June in the center of Oslo. The video was filmed by surveillance cameras and witnesses. The e-service – Without the activities of the intelligence service, this would not have been terror, said Dietrichson during the trial. He believed that the E-service helped to provoke the attack, and also used it as an argument for the acquittal of his client. The court disagreed with this: “The purpose was obviously not to initiate an act of terrorism, but to avert one,” the judgment says. When the E service testified in the case against Matapour, it was historic. Dietrichson has directed criticism at the E-service and PST throughout the trial. He has also believed that the communication between them has not been good enough. The court believes that this is beyond what they have to decide on. This is because the possibilities to prevent the attack are not important for the right to punish the perpetrator, and any accomplices, for their actions, the judgment states. Compensation for victims Two people were killed, nine were shot and even more were injured when Zaniar Matapour shot at the London Pub and Per på Hjørnet. 312 people have the status of offended in the case. The number increased after the trial had started. In total, they are asking for NOK 112 million in compensation, stated assistance lawyer Christian Lundin on the last day of the trial. Matapour has now been sentenced to pay more than NOK 111 million in compensation to the victims. It is basically Matapour who has to pay, but with the compensation for victims of violence, the state pays for the compensation. At the same time, they try to get the money back from convicts, to the extent that it can be done. The claims are divided into four groups: Victims with gunshot wounds or other physical injuries. 10 people. Lundin asks for 550,000 in compensation Victims who exposed themselves to danger by apprehending the defendant. Nine people. Lundin is asking for 450,000 in compensation Victims without physical injuries who were in the area at the time of the crime. 290 people. Lundin asks for 350,000 in compensation The survivors. Two persons. Lundin asks for 500,000 for each of the survivors Published 04/07/2024, at 12.09 Updated 04.07.2024, at 14.01
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Zaniar Matapour is sentenced to 30 years in prison for the terror on 25 June – news Norway – Overview of news from various parts of the country
