– There are some of these stories that I think I want to preserve in my heart, says task leader Tore Barstad to NRK.
The experienced policeman has been out many a night in Oslo’s streets. It was he who led the effort when Zaniar Matapour attacked the pubs Per on the corner and the London pub on 25 June 2022.
Barstad appeared in the Oslo district court on Tuesday to testify against Matapour, accused of terrorism. The trial against him is now in its third week.
Strong impressions met him when he arrived at Rosenkrantz’ gate that night.
Inside the London pub, he had an on-site nurse attend to someone who was injured on the dance floor. Then he had to move on.
In advance, the police had clarified that it was a PLIVO incident, i.e. ongoing life-threatening violence, and that the focus of the police should be to get control of the perpetrator. Even if they had to “jump over injured people” to make it happen.
– Shows something I’ve been afraid we’ve lost
Afterwards, Barstad felt confident that he made the right decisions that night. While the police worked to gain an overview, 12 civilians had managed to gain control of Matapour.
Some time after the attack, Barstad met them for lunch. That lunch, he says, is one of the strongest meetings he has had in connection with the attack.
– The heroic effort for which it stood, and the risk of its own life. It shows something that I have also been a little afraid that we had lost in society. Turn your back and run away from it, and prefer not to see, touch, touch or hear. And avoid getting involved, then. I think it was a good feeling, to meet people who stand up and take action, he says.
Surveillance images show the seconds Zaniar Matapour was overpowered by civilians on the night of June 25, 2022.
– It is dangerous to say that it is an example to be followed, because it really is note. As long as it is not safe to carry it out.
During the lunch, Barstad had the opportunity to explain why the police spent time helping the civilians who held Matapour down.
The car he was sitting in stopped near Matapour, but he did not see the basket attack, and instead ran in the direction of the London pub. He believes that in many ways it was luck that he did not discover the basketball attack.
– Then the effort was at the site of the injury itself, or the effort area. Then it would have been delayed. I would not have been able to implement it as early as possible. We hadn’t got the ambulances a place as early as we did.
– We cannot do everything. We need help. And they were absolutely invaluable here.
Eivind Håndstad was emergency manager on the night of 25 June 2022.
Photo: Cornelius Poppe / NTB
– We had to be a calming element
Emergency manager Eivind Håndstad also testified on Tuesday. He had his first shift as an emergency manager that night.
Håndstad describes how people were crying and in shock when he arrived at the scene. Several were talking on the phone and holding each other.
He realized that the police had to work on calming and caring for the victims after the attack.
– I told the investigators that now we must proceed calmly and be a calming element in this.
Håndstad worked to lead the investigation that began immediately after the attack. After a while, the investigators established that there was only one perpetrator.
He says he has thought a lot about what Zaniar Matapour was wearing during the attack.
– One thing bothered me: Matapour was wearing a yellow T-shirt. It was very strange.
Hånstad’s understanding of how violence takes place in the public space meant that signal yellow garments were abnormal.
– It is common to use earth colors to stay hidden. Here he did the exact opposite.
