Three Iraqi migrants are currently undergoing questioning by Norwegian authorities in connection with a blast that shook the U.S. Embassy in Oslo on Sunday morning. Officials suspect the incident is tied to ongoing tensions in the Middle East.
Christian Hatlo, a spokesperson for the Norwegian police, announced at a press briefing on Wednesday evening that three men have been detained on charges related to a terrorist bombing. These individuals, who have acquired Norwegian passports, originally hail from Iraq. They are accused of orchestrating the “extremely powerful” explosion outside the U.S. Embassy in the early hours of the day.
According to Hatlo, one suspect is believed to have directly planted the explosive device, while the other two allegedly provided assistance. The police are exploring the possibility that the embassy attack, which they suspect is linked to Middle Eastern affairs, might have been carried out under the direction of a state entity.
The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) reports that investigators are also considering whether the suspects are part of an organized criminal syndicate or if they acted independently as lone operatives.
During overnight interrogations, one of the suspects, represented by prominent Norwegian lawyer Øystein Storrvik, admitted to being the sole person responsible for the bombing. Storrvik stated, “We interrogated him this evening, and he confirmed that he placed the bomb at the site, asserting that he acted alone.”
The explosion at the embassy was described by police as a formidable improvised explosive device. However, due to the embassy’s robust security measures, it sustained minimal damage, and fortunately, no injuries were reported.
Police described the explosion at the Oslo embassy as a “very powerful” improvised explosive device, but noted the embassy suffered almost no damage as it is so well fortified. There were no injuries.
Similar remarks were made by police at a separate alleged attack against a U.S. facility this week, after the U.S. consulate in Toronto was shot at on Tuesday. A Canadian police spokesman reflected the building was so well protected, its inhabitants didn’t realise they’d been shot at, at the time, and the alarm wasn’t raised for an hour.
The incidents came after concern was raised about the prospect of long-discussed Iranian terror sleeper cells being activated in Western countries in response to the joint U.S.-Israeli strikes. It is already known that weapons caches connected to Iran front groups exist in European countries.
