The target may have been the Oslo LGBTQ pride event, which was hosted by the local branch of the Norwegian Organisation for Sexual and Gender Diversity.

A journalist from the Norwegian public broadcaster NRK who was present stated he witnessed a man arrive with a bag, then pick up a weapon and start shooting.

[23] According to Eskil Pedersen, a number of those present in London Pub, including himself, were also on Utøya during the 2011 shooting by domestic terrorist Anders Behring Breivik.

[24] At a press conference on 25 June 2022, the police said that they believe the attack could have been motivated by anti-LGBT hate and intended to target Oslo Pride.

At the same time, the intelligence service knew the identity of the Islamist, even though he was using a handle/pseudonym (kallenavn); the agency also suspected who was pulling the strings (bakmann): Arfan Bhatti.

[40] Matapour had an extensive criminal background from drug and assault offenses, but had received only "minor convictions" prior to the attack, according to a Norwegian prosecutor.

On 14 June 2022, Bhatti, who has also been represented by Elden in the past, posted a burning rainbow flag with a caption calling for the killing of LGBT+ people on Facebook.

National Police Chief, Benedicte Bjørnland, said in a statement that all Pride events in Norway should be postponed since the LGBT community is considered the "enemy" by Islamist extremists.

[49][3] Despite warnings, several thousand people still attended a makeshift parade, with armed police in the lead, and laid down rainbow flags as well as flowers at London Pub.

[51][52] Additionally, Norway entered its highest terror alert level, although the Norwegian Police Security Service had "no indication" further attacks were likely to happen.

[53][54][55] Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre called the shooting a "terrible attack on innocent people", and expressed solidarity with the LGBT community.

[62] King Harald V stated that the attacks had horrified the royal family, and he expressed a need to stand together to defend freedom and diversity.

[63] Bishop Olav Fykse Tveit, the Preses of the Church of Norway, expressed his belief that love would gain new strength following the attack.

[4][63] Finnish President Sauli Niinistö and Prime Minister Sanna Marin gave their condolences on Twitter and condemned all forms of terrorism.

[4][16][63] Gender studies scholar Janne Bromseth said that the attack took place in the context of attacks on LGBT minorities and rights by the anti-gender movement in Norway, noting that "the anti-gender movement has (...) shifted boundaries in the public debate in Norway in recent years," resulting in "a harsher climate of debate where primarily organized TERFs have been given space to set the agenda for the 'debate on gender' and the alleged threat of 'gender ideology' to the natural order, although the criminal was a radical islamist, not a feminist, and his motives were religious.