Sawt Falasteen - Explosion rocks US embassy in Oslo, police hunt perpetrators

The cause of the blast, which occurred around 1:00 am local time (0000 GMT) at the entrance to the embassy's consular section, was not immediately known.

Norway's Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide called the incident "unacceptable" and said he and Justice and Public Security Minister Astri Aas-Hansen had been in contact with US embassy charge d'affaires Eric Meyer.

The pair "expressed that this is an unacceptable act that we take very seriously", he said in a statement.

"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 extra staff to assist police with the investigation.

Spokesman Martin Bernsen stressed there had been "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, among other partners, the Oslo police district," Bernsen said.

He refused to disclose whether any threats had been made against US interests in Norway prior to the explosion.

- Shattered glass -

Images in the media showed shattered glass in the snow outside the entrance to the embassy's consular section, as well as cracks in a thick glass door and black marks on the ground at the foot of the door, presumably from the blast.

Investigators examined the scene overnight, while dogs, drones, and helicopters were brought in to search "for one or more potential perpetrators", Oslo police said.

"Police view such incidents in public spaces as very serious, and are investigating the case with substantial resources and high priority," police said in a statement.

Security is normally high outside US embassies worldwide. It was not immediately known what security the Oslo embassy had at the time of the incident.

Oslo police commander Michael Dellemyr told TV2 police would "not 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".

He later told TV2 that police "have an idea of the cause", adding: "It appears to us that this is an act carried out by someone."

Investigators questioned witnesses overnight, while TV2 reported that a bomb squad was seen at the scene.

Several hours after the blast, police declared the area around the building "safe" for residents and passersby.

Police urged the public to report any tips or unusual observations from the area between midnight and 2:00 am (2300 GMT and 0100 GMT).

- Three 'bangs' -

US embassies have been placed on high alert in the Middle East over American military operations in Iran and several have faced attacks as Tehran hits back at industrial and diplomatic targets.

But Dellemyr said there was no indication as yet that the incident at the embassy in Oslo was connected to the conflict.

"We're not connecting it to the conflict. It's far too early for that," he told TV2.

Residents near the embassy described hearing the explosion.

A 16-year-old identified only as Edvard told TV2 that he was watching television when he heard the blast.

"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 said.

A group of three friends meanwhile told TV2 they were waiting for a taxi near the embassy when the explosion happened.

"We felt three 'bangs' that made the ground shake," Kristian Wendelborg Einung said.

Once in their taxi, they drove past the scene and saw the street in front of the embassy covered in smoke.

"We arrived before the police. The blanket of smoke was very strange. It was like thick fog," he said.

V.AbuAwwad--SF-PST