A 34-year-old woman from Ethiopia who was working at a youth welfare institution in Oslo during the weekend was murdered on the job by an 18-year-old resident with a history of right-wing extremism. He has told police that his attack was politically motivated, and now he’s also been charged with terrorism.

The 34-year-old welfare worker Tamima Nibras Juhar, who came to Norway from Ethiopia in 2008, was murdered late Saturday night at the juvenile care institution in Oslo where she was working. Her assailant was an 18-year-old resident who claims his attack was politically motivated. PHOTO: Elden Advokatfirma

“We believe he had an intention of creating fear within part of our population,” prosecutor Philip Green of the Oslo Police District said at a press conference on Monday. “That’s the reason he is charged under (Norway’s) terror law.”

Green said the young man, a German citizen who has lived much of his life in Norway, was arrested shortly after he had fatally stabbed welfare worker Tamima Nibras Juhar, “who was a Muslim.” Green said the defendant, who was not immediately identified in accordance with press custom in Norway, had also expressed an intention to attack several others in Oslo.

He already faced murder charges that thus were expanded on Monday. His detention hearing at the Oslo County Courthouse was closed to both the public and the press “because we fear what he can try to express with the press in place,” Green said. Norwegian authorities clearly want to limit his opportunity to spread any extremist message. Both police and intelligence agency PST have confirmed they had received at least one earlier warning that the 18-year-old had become “radicalized in a right-wing extremist direction.”

The young man’s defense attorney, Petter Mandt, said his client denies guilt regarding either the initial or expanded charges. Mandt said he client had also wanted his court hearing to be open to the public: “He has a wish to express his views,” Mandt told reporters.

Prosecutor Green refused to go into detail about the murder weapon or weapons used in the attack, but said he could rule out firearms. TV2 reported on Monday that the victim was subjected to extensive stabs and cuts in various areas of her body. He was ordered held in prison for at least four weeks, the first two in full isolation.

Anette Skjerven Arnkværn has been appointed to represent the murder victim’s family. PHOTO: Elden Advokatfirma

An attorney appointed to represent the victim’s family said they were “in deep sorrow, shock and disbelief after losing a daughter, sister and aunt.” Anette Skjerven Arnkværn of the Elden law firm in Oslo released a statement on behalf of the family, noting that Tamima Nibras Juhar was born in Ethiopia in 1991 and had “demanding experiences” during her childhood that “motivated her to devote her life to helping troubled children and youth.” She came to Norway as a teenager and worked with children and youth while studying at Oslo Metropolitan University (OsloMet), where she concentrated on issues of equality, racism and international conflicts.

Arnkværn stated that the family now has “a great need for answers, not just what actually happened but also how it could have happened.” Juhar was working alone at the residential institute in Oslo’s Kampen neighbourhood and there’s already been lots of public reaction to her murder.

“What happened in Kampen is deeply tragic,” wrote the leader of Oslo’s city government Eirik Lae Solberg on social media Sunday. “It shall be safe to go to work in Oslo. We will ask for a thorough account of what happened.” The leader of the privately run juvenile residence meant to help troubled youth start independent lives also called it a “tragic incident” that will be followed up for all involved.

The labour union representing workers as such institutions, Fellesorganisasjonen (FO), stated that it was “in general critical” to situations where employees are alone on the job. “I must stress that we don’t know what evaluations were made in this concrete case,” FO leader Marianne Solberg told newspaper Aftenposten, adding that FO will also be following up and raising question over “how something like this could happen. It must not be dangerous to go to work to help others.”

NewsinEnglish.no/Nina Berglund