Three Norwegian brothers of Iraqi descent were arrested Wednesday for allegedly carrying out a “terror bombing” at the US embassy in Oslo over the weekend — as investigators probe whether it was done on behalf of a foreign state.
The three suspects, who have not yet been publicly identified, are accused of setting off an IED that damaged the entrance to the embassy’s consular section around 1 a.m. local time on Sunday, according to authorities.
“They are suspected of a terror bombing,” Police Attorney Christian Hatlo told reporters at a news conference.
The three siblings, all in their 20’s, are Norwegian citizens of Iraqi descent. Police had not previously investigated the trio.
One of the brothers is believed to have planted the improvised explosive, while the other two were involved in plotting the attack, where nobody was injured, Hatlo added.
“We believe they detonated a powerful bomb at the US embassy with the intention of taking lives or causing significant damage,” Hatlo said, adding that none of the suspects had been interrogated yet.
Authorities had released eerie images on Monday of one of the hooded suspects with his face hidden and carrying a backpack.
Before the suspects were arrested, investigators had said that the bombing was possibly an “act of terrorism” linked to the escalating war in the Middle East after US-Israeli strikes killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Iran.
“It’s natural to see this in the context of the current security situation and that this could be an attack deliberately targeting the US embassy,” Frode Larsen, head of the Oslo police investigation unit, previously told reporters.
Hatlo added on Wednesday that cops are now probing whether the bombing was done on behalf of a foreign state, but are also investigating other possible motives.
“Although it is early in the investigation, it is important that the police have achieved what they characterise as a breakthrough in the case,” Norway’s Minister of Justice and Public Security Astri Aas-Hansen said in a statement to Reuters.
US embassies across the Middle East have been placed on high alert as tensions continue to escalate following joint Israeli and American airstrikes on Iran.
With Post wires
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