The attack was directed at Kurdish and Arab guests living at the Nordbybråten transit centre in Østfold County.
"Some of those arrested were picked up near the centre and others were picked up in other places. Two came out of the woods nearby," says police chief Otto Stærk.
The first arrests were made at 5am on Friday morning. The five Chechens will be interviewed by police on Friday. The police think more arrests will take place soon.
Reports vary on how many attackers there were. Some say 40 to 50, others claim 100 and yet another estimate says 20. "What is certain is that there were a lot," says Stærk.
Police confiscated several weapons near the centre. According to Stærk, both machetes and iron bars were discovered. Those living at the centre reported seeing firearms, but so far the police have not found any.
All the injured are expected to live, but it is not clear how seriously injured they are. Their condition remains stable.
"Conditions at Nordbybråten are difficult. This is because the centre houses asylum seekers who have had their claims rejected by Norwegian authorities and are waiting to be returned to the European country that first let them in," says General Secretary of the Norwegian Organization for Asylum Seekers (NOAS), Morten Tjessem to news bureau NTB.
"Conflicts are not uncommon in a situation like this, but a large group of people coming in from outside is both unusual and shocking," says Tjessem.
