A man accused of killing three people after hijacking a bus in Norway was an asylum-seeker from South Sudan who was facing deportation, according to police. Police said the man had been staying at a centre for asylum seekers in Aardal, and was due to travel to Spain to have his application for asylum reviewed.
Two males in their fifties and a 19-year-old female were stabbed to death in the attack in western Norway. The suspect’s motive remains unclear.
An official from the asylum centre described the attack as completely unexpected. He said they didn’t see any warning signs.
The suspect, who had been staying in the Aardal refugee centre for several months, was taken to a Bergen hospital to have his knife wounds treated. His asylum application had been rejected on the grounds he had previously applied for asylum in Spain.
Firefighters explained that they overpowered man after turning up at what they initially believed was a road accident. The Norwegian driver, a Swedish man and a Norwegian teenager were killed in the attack. They were travelling between Valdres and the capital, Oslo.
A witness said the bus was parked on the roadside, so they stopped their car and ran over to see what was happening. He explained that they could not open the doors, then they saw a man brandishing a knife moving around the bus, and they realised the situation was different.