The suspect accused of wounding one person after opening fire at a mosque in what is believed to be a white supremacist attack appeared in court Monday, grinning at the cameras.
Philip Manshaus was arrested on murder and attempted murder charges after police say he shot his way into the Al-Noor Mosque in an attempt to kill Muslims. The 21-year-old was quickly subdued by individuals in the mosque before he was able to kill anyone, but after Manshous’ arrest, police raided his home and discovered the body of his 17-year-old stepsister.
With bruising and scratches around his face, Manshaus made his first court appearance. During a closed-door hearing, he didn’t admit his guilt and asked to be freed. He was ordered held for four weeks in pre-trial detention, two weeks of which he will be in solitary confinement.
Police said that Manshaus held extreme right-wing views, had hostility against immigrants, and praised Vidkun Quisling, Norway’s leader under Nazi occupation. Manshaus was reportedly inspired to attack the mosque by shootings in New Zealand and El Paso, Texas.
On the day of the attack, Manshaus reportedly wrote online that he had been “chosen” by “Saint Tarrant,” an apparent reference to Brenton Tarrant, the 28-year-old Australian man accused of slaughtering more than 50 people in March’s New Zealand mosque attacks.
Police said multiple weapons believed to be linked to the suspect were found inside the mosque, although it wasn’t clear what type of guns he allegedly had.
