Police inspector Johnny Brenna said that police believe they have discovered a new link between the brutal raid on the Norwegian Cash Service (NOKAS) office in Stavanger, which resulted in the shooting death of a police officer, and the armed theft of two paintings by Edvard Munch.
On Monday Brenna told the Oslo court that one of the weapons used during the commando-style NOKAS robbery on April 5, 2004 and the pistol used in the Munch robbery, likely stem from the same break-in in Sarpsborg in January 2004.
A pistol seen in surveillance camera footage from the NOKAS buildingis considered to be key evidence. The police conclusion is so far based on witness testimony and other intelligence, there is no technical evidence to support the claim yet.
The weapons robbery in Sarpsborg took place just a few hundred meters from the home of the 38-year-old man accused of the Munch robbery. Thieves stole a weapons case, including four hand guns, while the homeowner was on holiday.




ROBBER ON THE RUN: Here's one of the photos, taken from a security camera at the Munch Museum, of one of the two men who stormed into the museum and snatched two famous paintings.
AND HIS ACCOMPLICE: Here's the other robber, who waved a gun while threatening museum visitors.
STOLEN: "The Scream" is the most famous of Norwegian artist Edvard Munch's paintings. Painted in 1893, the painting is widely viewed as a portrayal of anxiety over the human condition, something officials at the Munch Museum were clearly feeling on Monday.
STOLEN: Munch's "Madonna" was also torn off the wall at the Munch Museum during Sunday's robbery. It was painted in 1893-94 and five versions of it are known to exist today.
SCENE OF THE CRIME: Police cordoned off the museum and began questioning the roughly 70 staff members and visitors who were inside the museum when the robbers stormed in around 11am.
THE GETAWAY: Two of the three robbers involved ran out of the museum, each carrying a painting. They headed for this waiting Audi, parked just outside the museum's entrance.
PARTNERS IN CRIME: A third man was waiting with the car, with its motor running. An observant passerby took this photo.
ALARM: Police got their first call on the robbery at 11:10am. Some shaken tourists inside the museum said they thought it took a long time before police were on the scene.
FIELDING QUESTIONS: The robbery was big news both at home and abroad. Police operations leader Lasse Alver met reporters Sunday afternoon.
GETAWAY CAR ABANDONED: Police later found the getaway car, a dark Audi, parked on Sinsenveien near a loal tennis club.
FRAME FRAGMENTS: Parts of the frame from one of the two Munch paintings were found along another steet near the Munch Museum, called Sars gate.
SHOCKED VISITORS: There were dozens of witnesses to the robbery, including Mary Vassiliou, an American tourist from New Jersey. She witnessed one of the robbers trying to get "The Scream" off the wall and claimed panic broke out in the museum.
ANOTHER WITNESS: Markita Ogjová from the Czech Republic saw one of the robbers threaten visitors and order them to lie on the floor.
MASSIVE SEARCH: Oslo police have launched a major investigation into the robbery, and were tracking leads on Monday.








