Bow-and-arrow attack in Norway being treated as apparent act of terrorism

Authorities are treating a bow-and-arrow attack that killed five people and wounded two others in a Norway town as an apparent act of terrorism, The New York Times reported.

The suspect, a 37-year-old Danish man who had converted to Islam, was charged Thursday in relation to the incident. Those charges are slated to be publicized Friday when the suspect is expected to appear in court. 

Authorities said Thursday that the man, who remains unnamed, had been previously flagged for radicalization.

Police chief Ole B. Saeverud explained that authorities first learned about the concerns over his radicalization last year and that multiple reports to police had been followed up on, according to the Times.

Saeverud said officials were still determining the motive behind the incident, however the police chief said officials did not yet know if religious extremism had motivated the attack.

The news comes as Norway is reeling from its deadliest attack since 2011 when far-right extremist Anders Behring Breivik killed 77 people.

The incident, which took place after 6 p.m. local time, occurred in a supermarket in the town of Kongsberg, which is southwest of the Norwegian capital, Oslo.

Officials believe that the suspect began to carry out his attacks after he was seen by police. 

Five people died in the incident including four women and one man between the ages of 50 and 70 years old. Two others, including an off-duty police officer, were also injured but are expected to live, Saeverud said, according to the Times.

A lawyer representing the suspect said a mental health evaluation was being conducted and he was cooperating with officials, the Times reported.