Large Explosion Reported Near U.S. Embassy In Norway, Officials Don't Rule Out Terrorism | WLT Report Skip to main content
We may receive compensation from affiliate partners for some links on this site. Read our full Disclosure here.

Large Explosion Reported Near U.S. Embassy In Norway, Officials Don’t Rule Out Terrorism


As the U.S.-Iran conflict continues, U.S. embassies across the world have increased security measures.

The U.S. Embassy in Norway on Sunday received a scare in what authorities are investigating as a possible terror attack.

Norwegian authorities reported a loud explosion outside the U.S. Embassy in Oslo.

CBS News provided the latest details on the investigation:

ADVERTISEMENT

An explosion at one of the entrances to the U.S. Embassy in Norway’s capital, Oslo, is under investigation, Norwegian police reported on Sunday. There were no casualties or injuries, and only minor damages at the building, they said in a statement to CBS News.

The explosion occurred around 1 a.m. local time, Oslo police said, adding that a “loud bang” was reported at the scene. Investigators had been examining the area while dogs, drones and helicopters were also involved in the search “for one or more potential perpetrators,” according to police. They haven’t identified any suspects so far, police said at a news conference.

Frode Larsen, head of the Oslo police investigation unit, told reporters at a news conference that it may have been a deliberate attack linked to the crisis in the Middle East, Reuters reported.

“It’s natural to see this in the context of the current security situation and that this could be an attack deliberately targeting the U.S. embassy,” Larsen said.

Larsen later told public broadcaster NRK that “one of our hypotheses is that this is terrorism, but we are also exploring other options.”

Here was the response:

The New York Times reported that it may have been a symbolic attack against teh war in Iran:

If this explosion is related to the war in the Middle East, “this is, above all, a symbolic attack,” said Magnus Ranstorp, a counterterrorism expert at the Swedish Defense University. He added that he did not rule out that the explosion was the work of a local criminal network.

Mr. Ranstorp said he was not sure why the embassy in Norway was targeted. “Maybe this is a location where it was possible,” he said.

ADVERTISEMENT

The police were also cooperating with the United States Embassy, said Grete Metlid, a police inspector. She said there was a visible police presence at the embassy on Sunday.

Any thoughts on this?



 

Join the conversation!

Please share your thoughts about this article below. We value your opinions, and would love to see you add to the discussion!

Leave a comment
Thanks for sharing!