Foto: Scanpix

Vikernes was wanted by the police when he failed to return to the low security prison facility after his leave. Vikernes is serving the maximum sentence of 21 years for the murder of his music colleague and friend Øystein Aarseth in August 1993, and for arson of Åsane church, Skjold church in Vindafjord and Holmenkollen chapel.

The arrest

“He was observed by a civilian police car on E6 driving in the direction of Oslo,” said Vidar Hjulstad, head of operations at Oslo police district, to TV 2 Nettavisen. “The patrol called us and asked for assistance to arrest Vikernes. We gathered four or five cars for the arrest, and when he came out of the Vålerenga tunnel, we got his car squeezed between two of ours and forced him to stop.”

“Our people were armed,” Hjulstad said. “We ordered him out of the car and he was arrested without incident.”

Vikernes threatened a family of three at gun point to give him their car. The incident took place around 4:30 p.m. in Lyngdal, in Numedal in Buskerud, Sunday. Vikernes will be charge for the car theft and the police will decide if he will continue to serve his sentence in a minimum security facility or if he will be transferred to another more secure facility.

Understanding

John Christian Elden, Vikernes’ lawyer, stated that he understood why his client failed to return to prison after his leave.

“He is serving his sentence and has been willing to be accountable, but he is experiencing that it can be hard, if not impossible, to return back into society,” said Elden to TV 2 Nettavisen.

The infamos Black Metal artist Varg Vikernes presented himself as Count Grishnáckh in court in 1994 but he is commonly known as Greven (The Count) in Norway. His one-man-band Burzum was well known in the black metal community in the early 90s.