Copenhagen: A Norwegian man who killed his stepsister and then stormed an Oslo mosque and opened was found guilty Thursday. He was sentenced to 21 years, the longest allowed jail term under Norwegian law. No one however, was hurt in the mosque shooting.
No regrets
Philip Manshaus had said in court that he regretted not having caused more damage. “He has proven to be an extremely dangerous person,” prosecutor Johan Oeverberg said as he demanded the maximum penalty.
Last year, Manshaus, 22, first killed his 17-year-old stepsister by shooting her four times with a hunting rifle. The incident took place at their home in the Oslo suburb of Baerum and Johanne Zhangjia Ihle-Hansen died on the spot.
Then he drove to a nearby mosque where three men were preparing for Eid al-Adha celebrations. Manshaus fired four shots from a rifle at the mosque’s glass door before he was overpowered by one of the men.
‘Emergency justice’
In court, Manshaus confessed to the acts but called them ‘emergency justice’. “He went in with the purpose of killing as many Muslims as possible,” judge Annika Lindstroem said.
Manshaus expressed admiration for the massacre of more than 50 people at two New Zealand mosques last year. The act was carried out by a white supremacist who filmed and broadcast the killings live.
The attack also drew comparisons with the massacre of 77 people by far-right mass killer Anders Behring Breivik in 2011. It was Norway’s worst peacetime atrocity.
Dangerous to society
Manshaus wore a helmet camera, filming the mosque shooting, but failed in his attempt to broadcast the attack online.
“Luckily no one suffered any serious injuries,” Oeverberg pointed out. “But Manshaus wanted to cause serious damage to the lives of people and he should be punished accordingly. Such people cannot be allowed to roam freely in society,” he added.