Two people killed in mass shooting outside an Oslo LGBT nightclub

Two people have been killed in a mass shooting outside an LGBT club in Oslo on early Saturday morning (June 25).

A gunman opened fire at 1AM on Saturday morning in Downtown Oslo, near the site of the London Pub, which resulted in two people being killed and more than ten people seriously injured.

The two men killed were in their 50s and 60s.

The London Pub describes itself on its website as "the largest gay and lesbian venue in Oslo," and the attack came during the midst of Oslo's ten-day-long pride festivities. Hours after the incident - a pride parade was set to take place near the site of the shooting.

Authorities arrested a 42-year-old male suspect not long after the attack. The attacker was found to bear two weapons on his body - a handgun and an automatic weapon.

The man, who was of Iranian descent and reportedly suffered from mental health conditions, was charged by the police with murder, attempted murder and terrorist acts.

In a news conference, Norway's head of domestic intelligence and security service, Roger Berg, said that the attack is being treated as an act of “extreme Islamist terror."

The suspect was known for minor incidents in the past, including accusations of violence towards those close to him, Norweigan newspaper Aftenposten reports.

Washington Post reports that Norway’s King Harald said his family and himself were “horrified” by the attack and gave their condolences to the victims and families affected.

“We must stand together to defend our values: freedom, diversity and respect for each other,” he said.

Norweigan Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said during an address at a memorial for the victims that while price festivities needed to be postponed, the fight “against discrimination, prejudices and hate” must not stop.

“During the day, the city was full of people who wanted to speak out, about sorrow and anger, but also about support and solidarity and the will to continue on fighting, for the right of every individual to live a free life, a safe life,” Støre said.

Mass shootings in Norway are rare due to highly restrictive gun laws. Semi-automatic weapons were banned entirely in 2011 after a gunman shot down and killed 77 people in an attack.

Aneesa Ahmed is Mixmag's Digital Intern, follow her on Twitter