LONDON — A massive explosion rocked downtown Oslo on
Friday, killing at least two people, injuring several others and causing
widespread damage in Norway’s government center, news reports said.
The Norwegian public broadcaster NRK reported that
police believe the blast was due to a bomb. News agencies said the
twisted, charred wreckage of a car could be seen close to the blast
site.
The explosion occurred near Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg’s office, but Norwegian media said Stoltenberg was safe.
Video footage showed streets littered with shattered
glass, documents and other debris as terrified people fled the scene to
safety, heading away from Oslo’s normally bustling downtown.
Nearly all the windows of one multistory building
appeared to have been blown out. Another building was on fire. A huge
plume of smoke rose into the sky.
Residents were stunned by the blast and the
possibility that their placid country had become the victim of a large
terrorist attack.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, but Norway has been singled out as a target by al-Qaida.
Almost exactly a year ago, three foreign-born
Norwegian residents suspected of being affiliated with al-Qaida were
arrested on suspicion of plotting an attack.
Last week, Mullah Krekar, an Iraqi-born cleric who
lives in Norway, was charged with terrorism after allegedly threatening
politicians with death if Norwegian authorities deport him. Krekar is
the founder of the militant Kurdish Islamist group Ansar Al-Islam.
In 2003, an audiotape by Ayman al-Zawahri, who
succeeded Osama bin Laden as leader of al-Qaida after his death in May,
urged militants to attack the U.S., Britain, Australia and Norway.
Many Norwegians were puzzled at the inclusion of
their country on the list; explanations centered on Norway’s
participation in the war in Afghanistan.
Six years ago, many Muslims around the world and at
home were angered when a Norwegian newspaper published cartoons from
Denmark that protesters said insulted the prophet Muhammad.
Oslo is also a contributor to the aerial campaign over Libya.
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