After the dust has started to settle over the attack in Baerum, Norway, near Oslo, where Philip Manshaus targeted a mosque, reports have emerged indicating that the man might have been inspired by other recent shootings.
It is believed that the Christchurch mass shooting in New Zealand, as well as the two recent terror attacks in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio that took place in the US served as inspiration.
While nobody was killed in the Al-Noor Islamic center mosque for Manshaus was quickly apprehended by mosque attendees; Norwegian authorities believe that he might have killed his 17-year-old stepsister, Johanne Zhangjia Ihle-Hansen, prior to the massacre attempt.
The teenage girl, who was born in China, was adopted by Manshaus’ parents at the age of two.
The alleged terrorist walked into the religious ground wearing body armor and a helmet and shot his way in by raiding the locked glass door of the mosque with bullets.
He was carrying two shotgun-like weapons and a pistol. The three elderly men inside including 65-year-old Mohamed Rafiq were quick to pin Manshaus to the ground.
One of the men was shot, and he survived. Manshaus was eventually arrested by authorities without any further incident. According to officials, they are treating this as an act of terrorism in their ongoing investigation.
It is not clear what motives the attacker might have had, but since he was captured alive, this will likely all come to light in the coming weeks.
Via the message board, Endchan, Manshaus shared a manifesto, and he spoke about the Christchurch, New Zealand, mosque shooting where 51 people died.
He also talked about the mosque shooting in Poway, California and the El Paso, Texas, Walmart shooting that left 22 people dead.
The man stated: “Well cobblers it’s my time, I was elected by saint Tarrant after all, we can’t let this go on, you gotta bump the race war thread, and if you’re reading this, you have been elected by me.”
Manshaus had planned to post a Facebook Live video stream of the attack, but it failed. Many people have expressed their support for the mosque and its attendees online, condemning the act.
It should be noted that the attempted attack seems to have united many social media users, even if temporarily, as words of support and encouragement could be seen from people of all religions and walks of life.
Many comments echo this sentiment — sad event such as these will eventually lead to people opening their eyes to the idea that hate and racism are real and it is being instilled into the minds of some, and they can be stopped if governments help those with mental issues.
Meanwhile, as can be expected, the Norway attack has started to see various conspiracy theories and other forms of speculation surrounding it, and a lot remains unclear about what exactly went down in the mosque, and why the shooter had picked that place, to begin with.
Manshaus appeared in court with a bruised-up face and two black eyes, but he was smiling. Accompanied by his lawyer, Unni Fries, the 21-year-old has denied all the different allegations.
