The US embassy in Oslo was hit by an explosion early Sunday morning that caused no injuries and only “minor material damage,” police in the Norwegian capital said as they searched for the perpetrators.
The cause of the blast, which occurred around 1 a.m. local time (0000 GMT) at the entrance to the consular section of the embassy, was not immediately known.
Norway’s Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide called the incident “unacceptable” and said she and Justice and Public Security Minister Astrid Aas-Hansen were in contact with US Embassy charge d’affaires Eric Mayer.
They said in a statement that the pair “take this seriously as an unacceptable act”.
“The security of diplomatic missions is extremely important to us, and the matter is now being investigated by the police and the Norwegian Security Service (PST).”
The PST told AFP it had called in additional personnel to assist police in the investigation.
Spokesman Martin Bernsen stressed there would be “no change” to the threat assessment level in the Scandinavian country, which has been at three on a five-point scale since November 2024.
“We are now in close contact with other partners in the Oslo Police District,” Bernsen said.
He declined to reveal whether any threats had been made against US interests in Norway before the explosion.
broken glass
Images in the media showed broken glass in the snow outside the entrance to the consular section of the embassy, as well as cracks in a thick glass door and black marks on the floor at the foot of the door, presumably from an explosion.
Investigators combed the scene overnight, while dogs, drones and helicopters were brought in to search for “one or more possible perpetrators,” Oslo police said.
“Police take such incidents in public places very seriously and are investigating the case with considerable resources and high priority,” police said in a statement.
Outside US embassies around the world there is usually high security. It was not immediately known what security was in place at the Oslo embassy at the time of the incident.
Oslo police commander Mikael Dellemir told TV2 police “it’s very early in the investigation” because “beyond the fact that there was an explosion, the type of damage, what it exploded and similar details don’t comment on anything.”
“The police have an idea of the motive,” he later told TV2, adding, “It seems to us that it was an act by someone.”
Investigators questioned witnesses throughout the night, with TV 2 reporting that a bomb squad was at the scene.
Several hours after the blast, police declared the area around the building “safe” for residents and passers-by.
Police urged the public to report any tips or unusual sightings from the area between midnight and 2 a.m. (23:00 GMT and 01:00 GMT).
three ‘bangs’
US embassies in the Middle East have been put on high alert over American military operations in Iran, and Tehran has faced several attacks as industrial and diplomatic targets have been hit.
But Dellemir said there were no indications yet that the incident at the embassy in Oslo was related to the conflict.
“We are not connecting it to the conflict. It is too early for that,” he told TV2.
Residents near the embassy heard the explosion.
The 16-year-old, identified as Edward, told TV2 he was watching television when he heard the explosion.
“My mom and I thought it was from our house at first so we looked around a bit, but then we saw flashing lights outside the window and a ton of police,” she said.
“Police with police dogs and drones and automatic weapons and helicopters were in the air,” he said.
A group of three friends told TV2 they were waiting for a taxi near the embassy when the blast happened.
“We experienced three ‘bangs’ that shook the ground,” said Christian Wendelborg Einung.
Once in his taxi, he drove by the scene and saw the street in front of the embassy covered in smoke.
“We arrived before the police. The smoke blanket was very strange. It was like a thick fog,” he said.
(With FRANCE 24 AFP)
(tags to translate)Europe
