An elderly Muslim man is being hailed as a hero after he overpowered a gunman who was shooting inside a mosque in Norway.
Retired Pakistani Air Force officer, Mohammad Rafiq, was injured in the armed attack at the Al Noor Islamic Centre near Oslo on Saturday, which is being investigated as a “possible act of terrorism,” according to police.
Rafiq, 65, said he tackled the man while he was shooting inside the mosque and managed to disarm him before the attacker gouged one of his eyes with his finger.
Assistant police chief Rune Skjold told a news conference that the suspect, who is described as a young white man, was carrying several guns and had previously expressed far-right and anti-immigration views online.
He said: “We’re investigating this as an attempt at carrying out an act of terrorism.”
Mosque director Irfan Mushtaq said the gunman wore a helmet and a uniform, adding: “The man carried two shotgun-like weapons and a pistol. He broke through a glass door and fired shots.”
Mr Mushtaq added: “So this guy came to the door and our hero, a man of 75 years old, he was very fast in the reaction. He had just sat down to read the Quran, he got up and he just started moving towards this terrorist attacker, even though this terrorist attacker was shooting at the same time, and took control of him from the front.”
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The attacker, who is now in custody, is also suspected of killing one of his own family members who was found dead at his home, police said.
