At approximately 01:03 sunday, the police received a report from neighbors in the area about an explosion/loud bang near the American Embassy in Oslo.
Update Summary of remarks made by Police Prosecutor Christian Hatlo at press conference today at 5.30 PM (not a verbatim quote). Oslo Police District have today arrested three individuals in connection with the explosion at the U.S. Embassy. The three suspects are brothers and have been charged with violation of Section 138 of the Norwegian Penal Code (terror bombing). They were arrested today at approximately 3.30 PM. The police believe that one of the suspects is the person who placed the bomb outside the embassy, while the other two assisted in the act. The suspects are in their twenties and are Norwegian citizens with a background from Iraq. They are not previously known to the police. It is the overall evidence that led the police to carry out the arrests today. The police wish to obtain statements from all three suspects. Investigators are working to clarify the role each individual may have played, and interviews with the suspects are ongoing. The defense attorneys are: Øistein Storvik Frode Sulland Kjetil Magnus Berg The investigation is still in an early phase, and police cannot rule out further arrests. The Oslo Police District is cooperating closely with PST (the Norwegian Police Security Service), Kripos (the National Criminal Investigation Service), and U.S. authorities, including the FBI. An important part of the ongoing investigation will be to establish the motive and determine whether others may be involved or whether the act was carried out on behalf of someone else. The police are currently working with several hypotheses, including: That the act may have been ordered by a state actor That it may be linked to criminal networks That the suspects may have acted on their own initiative
Oslo Police District are investigating the case broadly and emphasize that they have not committed to any single hypothesis. Update Police have secured a number of surveillance videos related to the incident, which are currently being reviewed. Police are searching for a suspected perpetrator. We believe the individual placed the device at the entrance. The police are interested in any information or observations regarding this person. An image extracted from the surveillance footage is attached. The individual has not yet been identified, and we currently have no concrete suspects. No one has been arrested so far. Work to identify the perpetrator is ongoing at full speed. Police can now rule out that the device was a hand grenade. The investigation so far shows that it was an IED (improvised explosive device) placed near the entrance area. For investigative reasons, we do not wish to disclose further details about the device at this time, beyond the fact that it was a powerful explosion. Police are aware of the video that was published on Google Maps around the time of the incident. Police are conducting several inquiries related to the video, but we do not wish to comment further on details at this time. Regarding motive and hypotheses, there are no new developments beyond what was stated yesterday. None of the police’s hypotheses have so far been weakened or strengthened, and we are still in the early stages of the investigation. The investigation has high priority in the Oslo Police District. We are investigating the case broadly, with several hypotheses. We continue to cooperate closely with the Norwegian Police Security Service (PST) and the National Criminal Investigation Service (Kripos). Police have received many valuable witness observations that are now being reviewed. Police are still seeking tips and other information that may be relevant to the investigation. They can be submitted to the police tip line at: https://tips.politiet.no/app/oslo/ Information in English regarding the attack on the US Embassy in Oslo What follows is a transcription of the statement from Head of the Joint Unit for Investigation and Intelligence, Frode Larsen at Oslo Police District during the press conference at Noon on Sunday, March 8. Welcome to the press briefing at the police headquarters. At approximately 01:03 last night, the police received a report from neighbors in the area about an explosion/loud bang near the American Embassy in Oslo. The police and emergency services responded quickly, deploying significant resources to the scene. At the location, there is extensive material damage to the entrance area of the embassy, likely caused by some form of explosive device. There are no reported injuries. We are in the early stages of the investigation and are pursuing several lines of inquiry. Investigations have been carried out at the scene, and searches have been conducted with dogs, drones, and helicopters for one or more potential perpetrators. We have performed both technical and tactical crime scene work. We have now mobilized substantial resources to support the ongoing investigation. For the time being, the Oslo Police District is responsible for the investigation. We currently have no suspects, but we are looking for one or more perpetrators. We are cooperating closely with Police Security Service, National Criminal Investigation Service, and the American Embassy. We are early in the investigation, but we are working based on multiple hypotheses. Given the current security situation, it is natural to consider whether this was a targeted attack on the American Embassy. However, we have not committed to any single hypothesis. We do not wish to release further details at this time, as the investigation is still in its early phase. We have already received many helpful tips from the public, but we encourage more information regarding observations from the relevant time period. The police take incidents of this nature in public spaces extremely seriously and are investigating the case with significant resources and high priority. A number of measures have been implemented following last night’s incident.