Arfan Bhatti pleads not guilty in terror complicity appeal

Arfan Bhatti has pleaded not guilty as his appeal case began at the Borgarting Court of Appeal regarding charges of complicity in the terror attacks during Oslo Pride on June 25, 2022. Bhatti, 49, was previously sentenced by the Oslo District Court to 30 years of preventive detention, with a minimum term of 20 years, for his alleged role in the shooting carried out by Zaniar Matapour.

While Bhatti was in Pakistan when the shooting occurred, prosecutors contend he was central to the planning and attempted to have the Islamic State (IS) claim responsibility for the attack to spread fear. The indictment also includes allegations that Bhatti attempted to form a conspiracy to commit terrorist acts, including proposing attacks against the Norwegian embassy in Islamabad and the family of Jens Stoltenberg.

Bhatti’s defense attorney, John Christian Elden, argues that there is a lack of concrete evidence proving Bhatti’s involvement prior to the shooting. The appeal process is expected to last approximately eight weeks and will include testimony from over 60 witnesses, with Bhatti himself scheduled to testify for three days.