Zaniar Matapour used two weapons when he committed the mass shooting in central Oslo the night before the Pride celebrations in the summer of 2022: an MP40 submachine gun and a semi-automatic Luger pistol.
Both weapons were in extensive use by Nazi Germany during World War II. They were also used by the Norwegian Armed Forces after the war.
Kåre Arvid Hesvik (60) and Jon Erik Isachsen (54) were killed in the 25 June attack, and nine other people suffered gunshot wounds.
– Experienced a lot of injustice from you
Weapons in the courtroom
Øivind Strand, chief police officer at Kripos, had Matapour’s weapons with him when he explained them in the Oslo district court on Tuesday.
About the pistol, Strand explained that it is not registered in Norwegian weapons registers, with the Norwegian Armed Forces or in international registers of stolen or lost firearms. However, the magazine that was in the pistol can be linked to another Luger pistol that was reported stolen in Norway in 1991.
OLD GUNS: The MP40 and Luger were in widespread use during World War II. Photo: Bjørn Langsem / Dagbladet
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Nor was the MP40 in the Norwegian weapons register, but a submachine gun of the same type and with the same serial number was registered as discarded by the Norwegian Armed Forces in 1991.
– That means that it should have been destroyed in the first place, said Øivind Strand in his explanation.
Four volleys of automatic weapons
Surveillance videos from 25 June 2022 show Matapour arriving at the courthouse in Oslo shortly after 01:00 in the morning, with a black bag.
GUN BAG: Matapour kept the weapons in the black bag on the right of the photo. Photo: Javad Parsa / NTB
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Outside the Per pub on the corner, Matapour takes the weapons out of the bag. He first unleashes eight pistol shots – before firing four volleys with the automatic weapon. The shots are aimed at Per på kørnket, a fast food restaurant and London Pub, a popular gathering place for queers.
The last picture
Before Matapour could fire several shots with the machine gun, the police believe that he had technical problems with the weapon, probably as a result of it tickling.
After the four volleys of gunfire, Matapour moves down the street, where he is run down by a man so that he drops the automatic weapon on the asphalt. He is still in possession of the gun when he is chased by civilians down Rosenkrantz’ street and finally put to the ground.
This video shows Zaniar Matapour’s movements on June 25, 2022 – from when he starts shooting, until he is stopped by civilians.
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– May have contributed
In the ensuing skirmish with the civilians, Matapour manages to fire one last shot with the pistol. No one is hit by the shot.
– Technical challenges with the automatic weapon and the fact that the defendant was overpowered may have contributed to the fact that no more lives were lost, said Superintendent of Police Tore Bjonviken when he explained in court about the forensic investigations.
TAUS: Zaniar Matapour has been charged with aggravated terrorism with a penalty of up to 30 years in prison. He has refused to explain himself in court. Photo: Bjørn Langsem / Dagbladet
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When Matapour was stopped, he was still in possession of 103 unused cartridges, it was revealed in the testimony of the police witnesses in court on Tuesday. 19 of them were left in the machine gun.
A total of 18 shell casings were found at the scene of the shooting.
Matapour has not wanted to explain himself, either to the police or in court – nor about where he got the weapons from.
However, one of the co-accused in the terrorist case, a man in his 30s, has previously been convicted after he received a machine gun of the same type in the run-up to 17 May 2017. The man was subpoenaed as a witness later in the trial against Matapour.
