It took Norway’s police nearly an hour to get to the Norwegian island besieged by a gunman who murdered nearly 100, a spokesman said on Sunday.
The police spokesman gave a timeline of the dramatic events, when emergency services attempting to cope with the aftermath of a car bomb that targeted government buildings in Oslo heard of the shootings at nearby island Utøya.
He said at 5.30pm police in Oslo were informed of the shooting. From then onwards:
5.38pm – Police send a squad to Utøya.
6.25pm – Police land in an emergency helicopter.
6.27pm – Suspect Anders Behring Breivik surrenders
The police said military helicopters were used to get to the island as police equipment was unsuitable to get to the island.
“The police will have a presence and we will work actively to check out all the tips that are coming in. That’s what you can expect operationally from us.”
Police said that a policeman was due to be on the island. Local media is reporting he too was killed by the gunman.
Nowegian police chief Sveinung Sponheim has also told reporters that police had arrested and released without charge six men at a flat owned by Breivik.
“We are still unable to tell you anything about the motives of the attacker, but we can tell you that he admitted guilt for both attacks”, police said,
“He maintains that he was alone. The police are working to confirm that this was the case”.