Zaniar Motapour, Norwegian citizen of Iranian descent, sentenced to 30 years in prison for committing a terrorist act

Zaniar Motapour, a Norwegian citizen of Iranian descent, was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Thursday, July 5, for committing a terrorist attack at a sexual and gender minority festival in Oslo. As a result of this attack, which occurred on June 25, 2022, at three locations in the Norwegian capital, two people were killed and nine others were injured. The Oslo court stated that the assailant fired 10 rounds with an automatic rifle and eight rounds with a handgun at the crowd. According to the court's ruling, he had pledged allegiance to ISIS and had been radicalized for several years. Zaniar Motapour was arrested by people present at the crime scene immediately after the shooting and has been in custody since then. Following his deadly attack, the Pride parade in Oslo was canceled, and the police stated they could not guarantee its security. The 30-year prison sentence for Zaniar Motapour is the harshest punishment in Norway since the country's anti-terrorism law was amended in 2015. He can apply for parole after serving 20 years, but only if he is no longer deemed a danger. The prosecutor described the sentence as a 'correct outcome' and 'a historically severe punishment.' Zaniar Motapour's lawyer also called the court's ruling 'a severe punishment' and added that they have not yet decided on filing an appeal. One of the victims of this terrorist attack, who was shot in the forehead, described the court's ruling as 'a great relief' in an interview with the Norwegian news agency NTB. A long video of the attack was played during the court session. The court's ruling was not read aloud but was sent electronically. The court announced that the sentence would be read to Zaniar Motapour in prison. He had previously claimed innocence. However, a court-appointed psychiatrist concluded after relevant investigations that the perpetrator was mentally fit at the time of the terrorist act.