Oslo (dpa) - A court in the Norwegian capital Oslo on Wednesday ordered the detention of a suspect in a mosque shooting on the outskirts of the capital on charges of terrorism and murder.
The Associated Press reported that the Norwegian court ordered the detention of Philip Manhouse pending investigation for four weeks.
The suspect's lawyer, a 21-year-old white Norwegian, refuses to confess to the charge of attacking the mosque while not talking to investigators. The bomber's face and hands during his first public appearance in court appeared bruises and scratches resulting from his fight with people in the mosque who managed to control him until the police arrived.
Norwegian police announced the charge of terrorism to the perpetrator of the attack last Saturday on the light mosque, which did not result in the deaths despite the presence of two firearms with him.
Police said the bomber opened fire inside the al-Noor Islamic center in the town of Bayram, near the capital Oslo, before being held by a worshiper.
| The suspect of the attack on the mosque appeared today in a Norwegian court with bruises and scratches from his fight with a worshiper (Reuters) |
Extreme views
Norwegian police said the suspect held "extreme right-wing views" and adopted "anti-foreigner attitudes."
Security authorities also accuse the suspect of murdering his 17-year-old sister, whose body was found hours after the shooting at the mosque.
Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg stressed in a press statement the need for Muslims in her country to feel safe, and stressed the importance of working to combat hostile attitudes against Muslims.
"The young man was somewhat mysterious and was not in a position to suggest that he was about to carry out a terrorist act," Norwegian intelligence chief Hans Safar Sofold told a news conference.
The features of Sunday's attack are similar to those of New Zealand's two mosques in March.