44-year-old Zaniar Matapour pleaded not guilty to terror charges. If found guilty, he could face 30 years in jail. Police believe the suspect targeted the LGBT community because of Islamic extremism.
However, prosecutors have said that the court will have to determine if the suspect was sane at the time. He could alternatively be sent to a psychiatric facility.
The court was shown a police video obtained from CCTV footage showing the 2022 attack that left 2 men, aged 54 and 60, fatally wounded and several others wounded. BBC News reports that 9 people suffered bullet wounds and a total of 19 bullets were fired.
The gunman was seen walking past the Per pa Hjornet and then the London Pub, two bars that Oslo's gay community frequents, before opening fire on people sitting at outside tables.
State prosecutor Sturla Henriksbo told the Oslo District Court that the suspect had pledged his allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) shortly before the attack. He visited a mosque before taking a tram to the scene of the shooting hours before the attack.
The court also heard that Matapour had ties to Arfan Bhatti, a known Norwegian Islamist who posted a picture of a burning pride flag on social media 11 days before the attack.
Matapour simply shook his head when asked by Judge Eirik Aass if he was guilty of the charges, then proceeded to ask why the trial was taking place during the month of Ramadan.
"I've not perceived a conflict between the conduct of this trial and Ramadan," the judge replied.
Since his arrest, Matapour has refused to answer police questions and is not expected to speak in his defense during the trial.
The prosecutor said the suspect had been in trouble with police when he was a teenager and had subsequently received psychiatric treatment. He was then reported to Norway's PST police security service in 2016 because of concerns that he was becoming radicalized, however, the report was not followed up on.
