Meet Mohammad Rafiq, A 65-year-old ex-Pakistan Air Force serviceman who leapt into action to save worshipers when an armed man burst into a Norwegian mosque on Saturday. Rafiq apprehended the shooter who opened fire at the Al-Noor Islamic Centre in Baerum, west of the capital Oslo.
Mr Rafiq’s quick action helped avert an attack that brought back painful memories of the Christchurch shootings in New Zealand earlier this year, when a gunman attacked two mosques and killed 51 people during Friday prayers.
“There is no doubt that the swift and firm response from the persons inside the mosque stopped the aggressor,” acting Police Station Chief Rune Skjold said in a statement. “These persons showed great courage.”
In a video that was shared by news websites on social media, Mohammad Rafiq demonstrated how the shooter entered from the side door and opened fire. Rafiq pounced on him, locked him with his arms around the shooter and threw his weapons.
The attempted attack on al-Noor Islamic Center happened a day before Muslims around the world celebrate Eid al-Adha, one of the most important holidays on the Islamic calendar marking the end of the hajj pilgrimage. Mr Rafiq and the two others had been at the al-Noor mosque preparing for the festivities.
Authorities are now treating the attack as a suspected act of terrorism and Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg has condemned Saturday’s incident as a “direct attack on Norwegian Muslims.”
“It was an attack on religious freedom,” she wrote on Facebook.
The suspect, whose exact age has not been released but has been listed as being 21 or 22-years-old, appeared in court with bruises across his face. He has been charged with homicide and terrorist acts. Following the attempted attack on the mosque, investigators found the body of his 17-year-old stepsister at a different location.
Norway was witness to one of the deadliest mass shootings in recent years — and one that has inspired others with anti-immigrant views. Anders Breivik, who espoused White nationalist views, killed 77 people more than eight years ago in attacks in Oslo and at a youth-summer camp.
