Five people killed after man goes on bow and arrow rampage in Norwegian town

13 October 2021, 20:24 | Updated: 14 October 2021, 00:18

A man armed with a bow and arrow has killed five people and injured two others in the town of Kongsberg in Norway, according to police.

One of those injured is a police officer who was off-duty at the time.

A man has been arrested and is believed to have been the only person involved in the attacks.

Police officer Oyvind Aas said at a press conference earlier tonight: "We can unfortunately confirm that there are several injured, and also unfortunately several killed in this episode.

"The man who committed this act has been arrested by the police and, according to our information, there is only one person involved."

Police were alerted to the attack around 6:30pm local time and arrested the suspect about 20 minutes later.

As a precaution, the Norwegian police - who are normally unarmed - are being instructed to carry firearms.

"This is an extra precaution," the police directorate said in a statement.

"The police have no indication so far that there is a change in the national threat level."

Reuters reported the attacks happened over a "large area" of the town of about 28,000 people.

The Norwegian government said justice minister Monica Mæland "has been informed of the situation at Kongsberg and is following it closely".

Prime Minister Erna Solberg said reports of the incident had been "horrifying".

"I understand that many people are afraid, but it's important to emphasise that the police are now in control," she told a news conference, according to Reuters.

The community is 41 miles southwest of Oslo.

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

They are investigating whether other weapons were also involved.

The man has not been questioned yet, and his motive was unknown, Mr Aas said.