Kongsberg attack

Kongsberg attack
Kongsberg
Kongsberg (Buskerud)
Kongsberg
Kongsberg (Norway)
Kongsberg
Kongsberg (Europe)
LocationKongsberg, Buskerud, Norway
Date13 October 2021
c. 18:12 – 18:47 (CEST UTC+02:00)
Attack type
Mass stabbing, spree killing
Weapons
Deaths5
Injured3
PerpetratorEspen Andersen Bråthen
MotiveLikely mental illness caused by psychotic delusions
ConvictionsMurder

On 13 October 2021, a man attacked eight people with various weapons – including a bow and arrow – at locations in Kongsberg, Buskerud, Norway, a town about 70 kilometres (43 mi) southwest of the capital city Oslo. Five people were killed, and three others were injured. The accused, identified as Espen Andersen Bråthen, a 37-year-old Danish citizen born in Norway and with a history of mental illness, was taken into custody on the same day and charged with murder. Although he pleaded guilty, in June 2022, a court determined his mental illness meant he could not be held criminally responsible for his actions, and he was sentenced to psychiatric confinement.