Norwegian police have received indications several years ago that Danish Espen Andersen-Broten, who killed five people in Kongsberg on Wednesday with a firearm and other weapons, could be dangerous, Arne Christian Heigstill, PST’s head of counter-terrorism operations, told Verdens Gang.
According to him, Andersen-Broten was detained for four weeks in 2015, but at that time the possibility that he might commit politically motivated violence was considered unlikely.
PST spokesman Martin Bernsen told the NTB news agency earlier that the warnings were also received in 2017, when the man had distributed a video stating that there was a Muslim who was aware of his mission, but due to the vague content of the record, no criminal threat was seen.
According to Norwegian police on Thursday, Andersen-Broten, now 37, has confessed to attacks that killed four women and one man in downtown Kongsberg on Wednesday night but does not believe he has committed a crime.
The PST initially said the attack was seen as a terrorist act, but the prosecutor’s office later said the man had been referred to health services, suggesting that he might have mental health problems.
It was later reported that Andersen-Broten’s health would be monitored and evaluated by two psychiatrists.
People who know him have said that he has been suffering from mental health problems for years.
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