The Norwegian authorities have sent a plane to bring Arfan Bhatti to Norway. Bhatti is appealing for the extension.
The case has been updated.
– Arfan Bhatti is now on a plane on his way to Norway, said Justice Minister Emilie Enger Mehl at a press conference on Friday morning.
Bhatti is accused and wanted for helping to plan the terrorist attack in Oslo on 25 June 2022.
The 46-year-old man was charged and wanted by Norwegian authorities after the attack, and was arrested a few months later in Pakistan. For more than a year and a half, the Norwegian authorities have tried to bring him to Norway.
Bhatti denies criminal responsibility. He faces up to 30 years in prison if found guilty.
Produced in court at the weekend
When he arrives in Norway, Bhatti is transferred to prison, and is ordered to be arrested on the weekend. It is not known at this time if he agrees to keep it. Bhatti has previously said he is pleading not guilty.
The investigation into the case of terrorism is now entering a new phase, the police write in a press release. A lot of investigation has already been done, and the police want to continue the extensive investigations to shed light on Bhatti’s possible involvement in the attack.
In addition, there is still an investigation against the other three accused in the case. Bhatti is currently expected to be called as a witness in the ongoing trial against Zaniar Matapour. It was not clear whether Bhatti will testify in court.
Expansion is an important tool
– It has been very important that he was taken out of Pakistan, says Minister of Justice Mehl and emphasizes:
– Investigation and conviction and judgment must decide the question of guilt.
She said that the queer community is having a hard time after the attack, and that this can be a difficult day for many.
– I have met many affected people who find it difficult to move forward when we don’t have all the answers. Many people have been angry, especially in the strange environment.
The Minister of Justice says she cannot comment on an ongoing court case.
– Such questions must be sent to the prosecuting authority and the Oslo police district.
Thank you Pakistan
Mehl thanks the Pakistani authorities.
– Both Norwegian and Pakistani legislation states that extradition can proceed. We have cooperated well with the Pakistani authorities, she says.
– It has been important for the government to expand Bhatti. It is important to move forward.
Appeal the decision
Bhatti’s Pakistani lawyer Hassan Pasha believes that it was a wrong decision because Bhatti cannot be connected to the attack in Oslo.
The decision has been appealed.
– And even if Bhatti were sent to Scandinavia, We will fight on. We believe that mistakes have been made and we will demand that Bhatti be brought back to Pakistan, says Pasha.
He traveled to Pakistan before the attack
Bhatti traveled to Pakistan three weeks before the June 25 attack.
He was charged in the case in August 2022 and was arrested by the Pakistani police in September 2022. In January this year, a court in Islamabad ruled that Bhatti could be extradited to Norway, but this decision was appealed.
The Court of Appeal in Islamabad decided two weeks ago that it can be extradited to Norway. Processing of the question of Bhatti’s extradition from Pakistan to Norway began in April 2023.
On the night of Saturday 25 June 2022, Zaniar Matapour shot and killed two people and injured several others. The attack took place outside the Per på konjert pubs and the London pub.
Matapour was charged in November with a serious act of terrorism. The trial against him began in the Oslo District Court on March 12 and will last until the middle of May.
The case against Bhatti is still under investigation by the Oslo police district. Bhatti says he has nothing to do with the case, but he spoke to Matapour five days before the mass shooting.
2024-05-03 07:20:08
#Arfan #Bhatti #Norway
