On Friday the police found a Hecker & Kock AG3, which was the army weapon for the Norwegian army’s util recently. It was found in a student locker at the University of Oslo were I currently are studying. I did not give the incident a single thought while I was at the campus today, nor do I plan to do so in the future. But with the bomb blast that hit the Government buildings in Oslo and the massacre at Utøya lurking in the back of my head, I don not like it! This e-mail was sent to all the employees and students today (English version below):
Til studenter og ansatte ved Universitetet i Oslo
I forbindelse med våpenfunnet på Blindern fredag 26. august, ønsker vi å
informere om hva som nå skjer rundt saken.
Våpenfunnet ble gjort i en plastsekk i et ulåst skap på HF-fakultetet, og
funnet ble fra første stund tatt alvorlig både fra universitetets og politiets
side. Universitetets beredskapsgruppe har hatt løpende dialog med politiet,
som har avhørt flere personer. Det er ikke kommet frem opplysninger som
klarlegger forholdene rundt våpenfunnet, men det jobbes videre med dette. Det
utføres fortsatt tekniske undersøkelser.
Oslo politidistrikt presiserer at AG3-geværet som ble funnet ikke var klar til
bruk, da det manglet sluttstykke. De anser dette som et isolert våpenfunn som
ikke kan settes i forbindelse med andre saker, men ser alvorlig på at det blir
funnet våpen på en utdanningsinstitusjon.
I følge politiet er det ingen holdepunkter for at det var planlagt straffbare
handlinger på universitetet, og politiets råd er å fortsette virksomheten som
normalt, også alle arrangementer i forbindelse med den forestående
jubileumshelgen.
All videre informasjon om denne saken vil bli lagt ut på UiO.nos hovedside.
Med vennlig hilsen
Frode Meinich
Teknisk direktør og beredskapssjef.
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Information in english;
To students and employees at the University of Oslo
This is to provide you with some information in regard to the discovery of a
weapon at Blindern Friday August 26th.
The discovery was done in an unlocked book locker located at the Faculty of
Humanities. Both the University and the police have taken this matter
seriously. The investigation is still ongoing and includes securing any
technical evidence. The University’s Emergency Preparedness Team is in
continuous dialogue with the police, who have already questioned several
individuals.
The Oslo Police Department underscores that the AG3-rifle that was found was
not in a usable state as the weapon was missing a part. They regard this as an
isolated incident that is not connected to any other cases. They do, however,
emphasize the seriousness of finding a weapon at an institution for higher
education.
According to the police there is no indication that punishable acts were
planned against the University. The police advise that the University should
continue to function as normal. This includes holding all events planned in
conjunction with the coming 200 year anniversary weekend.
Further information and updates will be published on our website www.uio.no
Best regards
Frode Meinich
Technical director and emergency preparedness manager