Date: Thursday, 24 April 2025
On Thursday, the 46-year-old was brutally murdered. He is known for the largest robbery in Norwegian history, but there was far more to Metkel Betew.
In 2004, Metkel Betew became a household name for most Norwegians after he was identified as one of the main characters behind what is described as the largest robbery in Norwegian history.
Masked robbers wearing bulletproof vests, helmets and a variety of weapons entered the counting center belonging to Norsk Kontantservice (NOKAS) on the morning of April 5th.
During the robbery, a shootout occurred between the robbers and the police, which resulted in the death of police officer Arne Sigve Klungland.
It was Kjell Alrich Schumann who fired the fatal shots. Schumann died this year after being diagnosed with cancer.
Schumann and Betew had a close friendship. Last fall, they appeared in a major interview together on NRK.
– That Schumann should die so early in life, before the age of 60, is something that many people probably think is perfectly fine after what he has done. Maybe people think that about me too, that I don't deserve to have a good time in society. What I have done will always be there as a part of me, I will never get away from that, Betew said in the interview.
In the same interview, Betew promised that he was done with his former criminal life.
– I don't want to be in prison anymore, I want to start a family, have children, said Betew.
Thomas Berhane says he has known Betew since he was six years old.
– He has always been a daring tough guy, but he was also the kindest person in the world. If he had candy, he was always someone who shared it with those around him, says Berhane about Betew as a child.
As teenagers, they played basketball and football together, he says.
– We were in the same social circle our entire growing up and kept in touch until recently, he says.
Later, Berhane got the role of Betew in the film about the Nokas robbery.
– Then I sent him a message to see if it was okay, and it was, says Berhane.
TV 2 has previously interviewed him about what it was like to play the friend in the film.
The year after the NOKAS robbery, Betew was convicted in Stavanger District Court for aggravated robbery resulting in death. The sentence was set at 16 years in prison, with a minimum term of ten years. Betew and Schumann were the only members of the robbery group to be sentenced to prison.
– He was an intelligent guy. He was good at speaking for himself, funny, charming and quick, says Kjetil Kolsrud, editor of Rett24 to TV 2.
He adds that his criminal history clearly shows that he lacked some restraints. Kolsrud also covered the Nokas robbery at the time.
– In this context, Betew appeared to be a leader type, and was among those who went inside and collected banknotes from the bank, says Kolsrud.
Betew was paroled in 2014. However, it wasn't long before he was involved in new serious and criminal acts.
In August 2015, he was charged with, among other things, planning the murder of criminal actor Imran Saber, as well as an attempted robbery at Gardermoen, together with former Bandidos leader Lars Harnes.
In 2024, he was released after almost 20 consecutive years in prison.
– He was now looking forward to a life of freedom after a long period of imprisonment, and he has also stated that he wanted to start a family.
Former police detective Johnny Brenna has worked closely with the environment Betew was a part of.
– He was a robber who appeared in the late 90s. Betew became quite central, quite quickly and was well-liked in the environment, Brenna tells TV 2.
The former police detective says he quickly settled down and was involved in a long series of robberies.
– He was a very active robber.
Brenna says that Betew's murder came as a surprise to him.
– I've only heard signs that he's been doing well over the past year, he says.
But on Thursday evening, police responded to Oppsal in Oslo after reports of loud bangs. Shortly afterwards, police found a lifeless man, who was later confirmed dead.
TV 2 learned early on that the murdered man was Nokas robber Metkel Betew. The police later confirmed this information at a press conference on Friday morning.
