Credited from: SCMP
Norwegian police have arrested three brothers of Iraqi origin in connection with a bombing incident outside the US embassy in Oslo that occurred early Sunday morning. Police prosecutor Christian Hatlo confirmed that the three men, all in their 20s and Norwegian citizens, are suspected of carrying out a "terrorist bombing" which caused minor damage to the embassy's entrance but resulted in no injuries, according to CBS News.
The blast, described as powerful and caused by an improvised explosive device (IED), took place around 1 a.m. local time at the embassy's consular section, reports state. Hatlo indicated that, while one brother is believed to have planted the bomb, the roles of the other two brothers are still under investigation, emphasizing that they were not previously known to law enforcement, according to South China Morning Post and Reuters.
Officials are investigating several hypotheses regarding the motive for the attack, including whether it might be linked to a foreign state. Hatlo stressed that, given the target— the US embassy— and the current global security climate, the possibility of a government entity being involved is "quite natural." Norwegian security services recently noted concerns about Iran, which is viewed as a principal threat, potentially employing "proxy actors" for such actions, according to Dawn and Al Jazeera.
In the hours following the blast, police issued images of a suspect captured on surveillance footage, leading to heightened security measures around diplomatic sites. Reports indicate a video linked to the incident, which has been removed, featured Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, hinting at possible motivations behind the act, as per BBC and Dawn.