Murder and attempted murder charges for Norwegian arrested for killing police officer

A 44-year-old Norwegian man arrested following the fatal stabbing of a 32-year-old off-duty police officer and injuring another man in a Thessaloniki bar has been charged with one count of murder and one count of attempted murder in an appearance before a prosecutor.

He was also charged with illegal weapons possession and use of a palm knife.

The suspect was also led before an investigating magistrate and given until noon on Saturday to prepare his testimony.

He was remanded in custody until that time.

Speaking to reporters after the hearings, the suspect’s lawyer conveyed his client’s condolences to the deceased police officer’s family, saying that he had not intended to kill anyone.

He attributed his actions to drunkenness and mental health issues for which he claims to be in receipt of support from the Norwegian state.

The suspect also requested the magistrate to seek an expert opinion regarding his state of mental health.

According to the case file, the incident occurred in the early hours of Thursday morning in a bar where all three individuals were customers and started with an argument over the differences between Norway and Greece.

The Norwegian initially attacked the police officer’s best man with a knife, which he claimed to always carry for self-defence, and stabbed him in the thigh

He then used the same knife to inflict a fatal blow on the 32-year-old officer when the latter attempted to intervene.

The off-duty police officer died almost instantly due to massive bleeding from a punctured artery in the left side of his neck.