Norwegian authorities reported an explosion near the U.S. Embassy in Oslo early Sunday morning, but confirmed that there were no casualties. The blast occurred around 1 a.m., local time, and police identified it as hitting the entrance of the consular section at the embassy.
Police described the scene with vivid detail: “A loud bang/explosion was reported,” they stated in their statement, adding they had received multiple reports shortly after 1 a.m. They quickly arrived on site to confirm that an explosion had indeed occurred and struck the U.S. Embassy.
“Damage is minor at this point,” police incident commander Michael Delmer told local broadcaster NRK. “We are not commenting further on what exactly has detonated, its nature, or any other details until we have more information available in our investigation.”
NRK reported that resources had been mobilized for the situation and there were no injuries confirmed so far.
In a separate comment to CBS News, the police maintained their stance of maintaining confidentiality about the cause of the incident. They noted that they were communicating closely with embassy officials and provided updates as more information became available.
Local residents near the embassy shared accounts of their experiences during the early hours. Edvard, a 16-year-old resident, recounted his encounter: “We first thought it came from our house, but we saw flashing lights out the window and an influx of police. The scene was chaotic with police dogs, drones in the air, automatic weapons, and helicopters patrolling.”
U.S. embassies have recently been placed on high alert across the Middle East following military operations by U.S. forces in Iran. In light of this heightened state of security, several embassies have faced attack attempts from Tehran’s retaliation measures.
Despite these warnings, police did not indicate a connection between the incident in Oslo and ongoing conflicts elsewhere. The authorities emphasized that their primary concern was to assess any potential damage or hazards at the site while ensuring public safety.
U.S. officials were reaching out for further commentary on this development but had not yet provided responses as of yet. The embassy remained under close watch by police, with a significant number of officers securing the area and monitoring the situation around the clock.