Explosion at US Embassy in Oslo, Police Probe Possible Terror Attack

Norwegian police are investigating an explosion at the United States Embassy in Oslo early on Sunday. The blast, which occurred around 01:00 local time in the Morgedalsvegen area about seven kilometres from Oslo’s city centre, caused only light damage to the embassy building and no injuries were reported.

Frode Larsen, head of the joint investigations and intelligence unit, said authorities were still collecting evidence at the scene. One of the leading hypotheses is that the incident may be an act of terrorism, although investigators are not yet ruling out other possible causes.

‘Some hypotheses point to terrorism, but we are not completely fixed on that,’ Larsen told NRK, the public broadcaster. He emphasised the importance of maintaining objectivity and remaining open to other explanations for what happened.

Michael Dellemyr, who led the police response at the site, confirmed that the blast occurred at the building’s public entrance. Officers conducted searches around the embassy and urged witnesses who saw or heard anything suspicious to report it immediately.

Photos circulating on social media showed glass fragments on the snow outside the consular entrance, cracks in the glass door, and scorch marks on the tiled floor.

The Norwegian government condemned the incident and called it ‘unacceptable’. Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide stressed Norway’s commitment to protecting foreign missions and said he had spoken directly with the embassy’s Chargé d’Affaires, Eric Meyer.

A spokesperson for the United States Department of State said they were aware of the incident and working with local authorities on a thorough investigation. The area around the embassy remained tightly guarded by Norwegian police as investigators collected remaining blast material for forensic testing.