Blast at the U.S. Embassy in Oslo, Surrounding Area Closed

The U.S. Embassy in Oslo, Norway, was struck by a blast in the early hours of Sunday. No one was injured. AFP reported this on Sunday (8 March 2026), citing Norwegian police authorities. The cause of the blast is not yet known for certain. The Oslo Police Department said the blast occurred around 01:00 local time (0000 GMT). Public broadcaster NRK quoted police incident commander Michael Dellemyr, who revealed that the blast hit the entrance of the embassy’s consular section.

“Around 01:00 we received several reports of an explosion. We arrived shortly afterwards and confirmed that an explosion had struck the U.S. embassy,” he told NRK.

“The damage is light,” said Dellemyr.

Police have not disclosed the type of damage caused by the blast. The investigation is ongoing. “We will not comment on the type of damage, what exploded, or similar details, other than the fact that an explosion has occurred, because the investigation is still very early,” he said.

Dellemyr told TV2 that police “have a sense of the cause.” It is suspected the blast was carried out by a person.

“It appears to us this is an action carried out by an individual,” he added.

Investigators are currently talking to witnesses. TV2 reported that a bomb disposal team was on the scene.

Police statements said investigators had contacted the embassy about the incident and there was a heavy police deployment at the site.

Residents nearby said they heard loud explosions. A 16-year-old named Edvard told TV2 that he was watching television when he heard the blast. “My mother and I initially thought the explosion came from our home, so we looked around for a moment, but then we saw flickering lights outside the window and a lot of police,” he said.

“There are tracking dogs, drones, automatic weapons police, and helicopters in the air,” he added.

Roads were closed. In addition, a broad area around the embassy was blocked and police stopped cars near the area, according to media reports.

U.S. embassies in the Middle East have been on high alert due to American military operations in Iran, and some have faced attacks as Tehran retaliated by targeting industry and diplomatic targets. However, Dellemyr said there were no indications the Oslo embassy incident was connected to the conflict.

“We are not linking it to the conflict. It is still too early for that,” he told TV2.