An explosion struck the United States Embassy in Oslo in the early hours of Sunday, according to police in the Norwegian capital. Authorities confirmed that although the blast caused some damage, no injuries were reported.
The incident occurred around 1:00 am local time (0000 GMT), the Oslo Police District said in a statement.
Speaking to Norwegian public broadcaster NRK, police incident commander Michael Dellemyr explained that the explosion affected the entrance to the embassy’s consular section.
“At around 1:00 am we received several reports of an explosion. We arrived shortly afterwards and confirmed that there had been an explosion that hit the US embassy,” he said.
Dellemyr noted that the damage appeared limited.
“There is minor damage,” he said.
He added that investigators were being cautious about releasing further details while the investigation was still at an early stage.
“We are not going to comment on anything related to the type of damage, what it is that has exploded and similar details, beyond the fact that there has been an explosion” because “it is very early in the investigation”.
In a later interview with TV2, the police commander said authorities suspect the blast may have been deliberate.
“We have an idea of the cause,” he said, adding: “It appears to us that this is an act carried out by someone.”
Investigators have begun speaking with witnesses, while reports indicated that a bomb squad was deployed to the scene.
Police also confirmed they were in contact with embassy officials regarding the incident, and a large security presence was established around the area.
Residents living nearby reported hearing a loud bang during the night. A 16-year-old resident identified as Edvard told TV2 he was at home watching television when the explosion occurred.
“My mother and I first thought it came from our house, so we looked around a little, but then we saw the flashing lights outside the window and a ton of police,” he said.
“There were police dogs and drones and police with automatic weapons and helicopters in the air,” he added.
Authorities sealed off a large area around the embassy, with officers stopping vehicles approaching the location, according to local media reports.
While several US diplomatic missions in the Middle East have recently been placed on high alert due to tensions involving Iran, Dellemyr said there is currently no evidence linking the Oslo incident to those conflicts.
“We’re not connecting it to the conflict. It’s far too early for that,” he told TV2.
