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COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A man with a firearm, described as "confused" by Norwegian police, was detained Sunday after apparently opening fire in central Oslo. No one was injured and police ruled out terror as a motive.
The man, in his 20s, was detained behind Oslo's downtown cathedral by armed police.
Police spokesman Svein Arild Joerunland told Norwegian daily Nettavisen that the suspect has admitted to firing two to three shots Sunday morning, adding "I can say that this has nothing to do with terror or something like that."
"We are talking about a confused man," Joerunland told the newspaper.
Joerunland wasn't immediately available to confirm his quotes to the paper. Police haven't said what type of firearm the man was carrying.
Witnesses called police shortly after 9 a.m. (0800 GMT; 3 a.m. EDT) to alert them to a man walking around downtown Oslo with a weapon and firing with live ammunition after which police quickly took up positions throughout the city.
Police tweeted they had found at least two shop fronts "with damage that may stem from shots."
The shooting happened around Stortorvet, a square adjacent to the Oslo Domkirke cathedral.
Possession and storage of firearms in Norway are strictly regulated and there is a total ban on automatic weapons for civilians. The Scandinavian country has a large population of hunters who have semi-automatic guns and rifles, as well as shotguns.
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