Pleading Insanity

From our Norwegian correspondent The Observer comes more news concerning the grisly murders allegedly committed by an Iraqi immigrant in Oslo last week:

Just thought I’d send you an update on the triple homicide case that occurred in Oslo last Thursday. It turns out I was right about the accused killer pleading insanity after having committed this heinous crime. It seems to be the desired choice of tactics used by Third World killers in Norway at the moment, and the courts are more than happy to play along.

Below is an abbreviated version of an article printed in Saturday’s edition of VG. The headline says it all: ‘The accused husband had severe mental health problems’. It is going to be quite interesting to see what kind of ‘punishment’ the Norwegian courts are going to dish out to this poor ‘mentally unstable’ murderer.

And isn’t it hilarious, the family was supposedly persecuted in Iraq and had to come all the way to Norway to find a safe haven, but then again they decided to return home to Iraq straight away after having been granted political asylum and equipped with the proper travel documents by the naïve Norwegian Government.

And, of course, the local council in Norway paid for their accommodation when they decided to return to Norway again, in stark contrast to those Norwegians who are currently being evicted from their apartments to make room for newly arrived asylum seekers.

And now for The Observer’s translation:

Accused husband had severe mental health problems

The man accused of killing his wife and children in Oslo last Thursday was mentally ill, according to members of his own family. They tell VG [tabloid newspaper] that he isolated himself and his family from relatives and friends after they returned to Norway from Iraq in May earlier this year. His deceased wife, according to the man’s older brother, was devastated that he didn’t seek treatment for his mental health problems in Norway.

The accused Iraqi man had spent the last few years in the Kurdish controlled areas of Northern Iraq. According to his older brother, he was suffering from severe mental problems during this time, and he was getting medical treatment for his problems in Iraq. The brother also states that there are medical records that support this claim in Iraq.

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The older brother will be interviewed by the police in the coming days. He has told friends that it is his wish that his brother will receive a heavy punishment for the homicides, provided he’s guilty of having committed the crime.

The accused Iraqi will remain in custody for the next four weeks and has been denied visitation rights. So far he has not been interviewed by the police, because he is too depressed.

His court appointed public defender, Solveig Høgtun, told VG that they are seriously considering offering him psychiatric treatment. She goes on to say that he hasn’t yet been diagnosed with any mental health problems, but that at the moment he’s too upset to be formally interrogated by the police.

According to neighbors and friends of the 44 year old man, who is described as being well educated, he had problems finding employment after moving back to Iraq. Among the residents at the hostel in Grefsen, where the murders occurred, the accused was known as being a deeply religious man.

“He called me ‘brother’ when he discovered that I was a Muslim,” says Nuha Jammeh, who is married to Unni Gumbs, owner of the hostel. “He and his family were quiet and polite, and they often invited me to barbecues in the back garden. We certainly weren’t aware of any mental health issues. He seemed completely normal and well-balanced to me. We had no idea until this happened.”

The Iraqi family received financial aid from the Grorud council after they arrived in Norway earlier this year. The Council had so far not managed to find permanent accommodation for the Iraqi family. The council worked closely with the family, and according to the caseworkers assigned to the case, the family did not appear to have any problems.

Ragnhild Aasen, a former neighbor of the Iraqi family, used to attend the same gym as the deceased woman.

“I always talked to her in the changing room or when I met her at the local shops. But I never spoke to her when she was accompanied by her husband. To me he seemed very conservative and strict. He seldom spoke to other people, and never to women,” says Aasen to VG.