The US embassy in the Norwegian capital of Oslo has been hit by an explosion in the early hours of Sunday morning, news reports said. No injuries were reported as a consequence of the explosion. However, it was not immediately known if the incident caused any damage to the embassy’s property.
It was not known what caused the explosion. However, reports of a blast at a US embassy amidst the ongoing conflict in the Middle East have raised eyebrows. West Asia is on the boil after an Israeli–US joint offensive against Iran entered its eighth day.
The Oslo Police reportedly deployed a helicopter, the bomb squad, the canine squad, and crime scene technicians after an area with a radius of around 700 metres from the embassy was cordoned off. According to local media reports, the Minister of Justice and Public Security claimed that the explosion at the US embassy in Oslo is being taken very seriously.
Eyewitnesses reported a loud explosion near the embassy compound in western Oslo at around 1 am, CNN said in a report. Eyewitnesses were quoted as saying they saw “a cloud of smoke” at the compound.
“We’ve determined that an explosion hit the American embassy,” police spokesperson Mikael Dellemyr told Reuters, adding that the blast occurred at the entry to the consular section.
“The police are in a dialogue with the embassy and there are no reports of any injured persons,” the statement said. The embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside of regular business hours. The US State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Is Iran behind US embassy explosion in Oslo? Norway police investigates
