A Norwegian court has convicted Arfan Bhatti of orchestrating the deadly 2022 shooting at the London Pub during Oslo Pride and sentenced him to 30 years in prison. Two people were killed and eight wounded when a lone gunman, Zaniar Matapour, opened fire; Matapour was convicted in July 2024 and also received a 30-year term. An independent 2023 inquiry found police may have prevented the attack if they had acted on a foreign intelligence tip. Forensic experts said Bhatti meets criteria for psychopathy but is criminally responsible.
Norwegian Court Sentences Arfan Bhatti to 30 Years for Orchestrating 2022 Oslo Pride Shooting
FILE PHOTO: A rainbow flag and flowers are placed as a tribute on a sidewalk following a shooting at a nightclub in central Oslo, Norway June 25, 2022. Terje Pedersen/NTB/via REUTERS/File Photo
OSLO — A Norwegian court on Friday found Arfan Bhatti guilty of orchestrating the deadly shooting at the London Pub during Oslo's 2022 Pride celebrations and sentenced him to 30 years in prison.
Bhatti, a 48-year-old Norwegian citizen born in Oslo, was tried on charges of complicity in aggravated terrorism despite being in Pakistan at the time of the attack. He was extradited to Norway in 2024, has remained in custody, pleaded not guilty at trial and retains the right to appeal the verdict.
Two people were killed and eight were seriously wounded when a lone gunman, identified as Iranian-born Norwegian Zaniar Matapour, opened fire at the London Pub — a focal point of Oslo's LGBTQ+ community — and at a neighbouring bar in central Oslo. Dozens more sustained lesser injuries amid the chaos that followed.
Matapour was convicted in July 2024 of murder and aggravated terrorism for carrying out the attack and was also given a 30-year sentence, the maximum under Norwegian law.
Inquiry, Evidence and Psychiatric Findings
An independent inquiry completed in 2023 concluded that police might have prevented the attack if they had acted on a tip from a foreign intelligence agency. The report raised questions about how authorities handled the intelligence and whether earlier intervention could have averted the violence.
Two forensic psychiatrist experts told the court that Bhatti suffers from severe dissocial personality disorder and met criteria for psychopathy, but both concluded he remains criminally responsible for his actions.
Bhatti's conviction marks a high-profile conclusion to investigations into the planning and facilitation of the attack, but legal appeals and continued scrutiny of the police response are likely to follow.
Reporting: Terje Solsvik in Oslo and Soren Jeppesen in Copenhagen. Editing: Aidan Lewis.
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