A Norway Bow-And-Arrow Attacker Killed Five People & Police Suspect It Was Terrorism

Police say a man killed five people with a bow and arrows in Norway on Wednesday evening, in the country's worst mass killing in a decade.

The attack happened in the southern town of Kongsberg, where police say a man started shooting arrows inside a supermarket. Officers showed up and tried to catch him but he escaped, touching off a 30-minute chase.

The suspect shot arrows at police and strangers throughout the chase, killing five people and injuring at least three others, Reuters reports.

Police ultimately arrested the suspect alive.

"The events at Kongsberg appear at the moment to be an act of terror," police later said in a statement.

Authorities said the suspect is a 37-year-old man from Denmark who lives in the town, although they didn't immediately release his name or announce any charges.

They added that he converted to Islam a few years ago and that police had been keeping an eye on him for about a year.

"We have previously been in contact with him regarding worries about radicalization," Ole Bredrup Saeverud, the regional police chief, said at a news conference.

The victims' names were not immediately released but police say they were all between 50 and 70 years old. Four of them were women and one was a man.

There were arrows sticking out of walls at the crime scene, and one witness told Reuters that he saw a victim walking with an arrow in his back.

"This is a dramatic situation that has severely affected the local community in Kongsberg," outgoing Prime Minister Erna Solberg said in a statement. "We are deeply disturbed by these attacks."

Police say there is no reason to believe that there is still a threat, and that the investigation is ongoing.

Officers typically do not carry guns in Norway, but police in the area were given special permission to do so after the attack.

The suspect is due to appear in court on Friday.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.