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Police closed the city of Sarpsborg after the attacks.
One woman died and two others were injured after a series of nightly stabbings in Norway.
The first reports of the attacks came just before midnight in the city of Sarpsborg, south of the capital, Oslo.
Police arrested a 31-year-old Norwegian citizen who will be questioned today.
A press release said the alleged male attacker had a relationship with two of the women, although not with the woman who was killed.
The victim was in her 50s, police said. Another woman was seriously injured, while a third suffered minor injuries.
The arrested man will be charged with murder and attempted murder, according to the statement.
Police said they were investigating whether the alleged author’s mental health was a factor in the attacks. The press release said the arrested man had a history of violence, but at a subsequent press conference, police said this was not the case.
Local media reported that armed police, helicopters, and nine ambulances were deployed early in the morning in Sarpsborg.
Agents closed the city center and asked residents to stay inside via Twitter.
A woman was stabbed at the central bus station while waiting in her car.
Another was stabbed in her own home. “We were sitting watching television and there was a knock on the door. When I opened it, he tried to stab me, but I ran away,” her husband told the local newspaper Sarpsborg Arbeiderblad. His wife was stabbed in the arm.
One of the victims recognized her attacker, leading to the arrest at the man’s home address.
A resident, Ole Martin Gilde, said he witnessed the arrest.
“The police blocked the street and I counted up to 12 police cars here,” he told the Verdens Gang newspaper. “I also saw up to 10 armed police officers at the intersection here, and then they searched a dog in every backyard.”
Police have asked for witnesses to appear.
