Worshippers Stopped A Mosque Attack By Wrestling Gunman To The Ground

Source: TERJE PEDERSEN / Getty

An Attack In Norway Was Halted When Worshippers Wrestled The Gunman

Fighting off a gunman with your two bare hands? Apparently, it can be done.

Two brave men in Norway were able to stop a shooting at a mosque before anyone was killed. The almost-attack took place at the al-Noor Islamic Centre, just outside of Oslo, on Saturday.

Authorities are currently looking into the incident and say that they are investigating it as an act of terrorism, sinve they believe the unidentified attacker held white supremacist views. Rune Skjold, the assistant chief of police in Oslo, commended the courage of Mohammad Rafiq and Mohamed Iqbal, who both wrestled the gunman to the ground and held him there until police arrived on the scene.

“These people showed great courage,” Skjold said.

Rafiq is a 65-year-old retired Pakistani Air Force officer. He told Reuters that he heard the shooting begin outside the mosque and knocked the shooter down once he shot toward the other men inside the mosque.

“I suddenly heard shooting from outside,” Rafiq said, who was helping prepare the mosque for a celebration of Eid al-Adha with two other members of the congregation. “He started to fire towards the two other men.”

Rafiq was injured while fighting with the man, but eventually got him on the ground at which point Iqbal helped hold the attacker down.

“He put his finger inside my eye, up to here; full finger inside my eye,” he explained.

Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg posted a message of solidarity with Norwegian Muslims to Facebook.

“Today we stand shoulder to shoulder with Norwegian Muslims in condemnation of the attack and for the right to safely be able to believe in who you want and what you want in Norway…Eid Mubarak!”

Shoutout to these brave men for stopping this situation before anyone was killed!