Kurdish community in Norway rejects link to Trondheim axe attacker

OSLO, Norway — The Kurdish community in Norway has publicly disavowed the man suspected of carrying out an axe attack on several vehicles in Trondheim, saying he does not represent them. Community representatives stressed that thousands of Kurds in Norway live within the framework of the country's laws and described the incident as an individual act. Norwegian media have identified the suspect as Mahdi Arslan, an Iraqi asylum seeker also known online as "Abu Çiçu." Reports cited doubts over his identity and documents during asylum and residence-permit procedures, with claims that civil records issued in Duhok contained inconsistent name information and that prior asylum applications in other European countries were concealed. The Kurdish community has called for the case to be handled through an official investigation and for his identity and residence documents to be examined by the relevant authorities. It also opposed any generalization of the incident, saying that if any crime or irregularity is proven, judicial proceedings should follow. No further details on the investigation or the suspect's current status were immediately available.