Bomb rocks government offices in Oslo, two said dead

[bigross86]

Bomb rocks government offices in Oslo, two said dead

By Walter Gibbs and Alister Doyle | Reuters – 4 mins 44 secs ago



In this video image taken from television, smoke is seen billowing from a damaged building as debris is strewn across the street after an explosion in Oslo, Norway Friday July 22, 2011. A loud explosion shattered windows Friday at the government headquarters in Oslo which includes the prime minister's office, injuring several people. Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg is safe, government spokeswoman Camilla Ryste told The Associated Press. (AP Photo/TV2 NORWAY via APTN) NORWAY OUT

OSLO, July 22 (Reuters) - A massive bomb shattered Norway's main government building in Oslo Friday, killing two people police were quoted as saying by local news agency NTB.

There was no claim of responsibility, though NATO member Norway has been the target of threats, if not bombs, before, notably over its involvement in conflicts in Afghanistan and Libya. Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg was safe, NTB said.

NRK radio said at least two people were killed in an attack that may have brought global political violence to the quiet Scandinavian city.

"It exploded -- it must have been a bomb. People ran in panic and ran. I counted at least 10 injured people," said bystander Kjersti Vedun, who was leaving the area.

A Reuters reporter at the scene said the blast scattered debris across the streets and shook the entire city center around 3:30 p.m. (9:30 a.m. EDT). He saw eight people injured, one covered in a sheet and apparently dead.

"So far I can confirm that we have received seven people at Oslo University Hospital," a press officer at the clinic said.

"I don't know how seriously wounded they are."

The explosion blew out most of the windows of the 17-storey central government building, cast a huge pall of smoke over the city and scattered shards of metal and other debris for hundreds of meters.

Nearby ministries were also hit, including the oil ministry, which was on fire. Heavy debris littered the streets.

John Drake, senior risk consultant, at London-based consultancy AKE said: "It may not be too dissimilar to the terrorist attack in Stockholm in December which saw a car bomb and secondary explosion shortly after in the downtown area.

"That attack was later claimed as reprisal for Sweden's contribution to the efforts in Afghanistan."

The Reuters correspondent said the streets had been fairly quiet in mid-afternoon on a Friday in high summer, when many Oslo residents take vacation or leave for weekend breaks.

The tangled wreckage of a car was outside one building, as well as the damage to the buildings, appeared consistent to witnesses with that from car bombs.

THREATS

NATO member Norway has sometimes in the past been threatened by leaders of al Qaeda for its involvement in Afghanistan. But political violence is virtually unknown in a country known for sponsoring the Nobel Peace Prize and mediating in international conflicts, including in the Middle East and Sri Lanka.

It has also taken part the NATO bombing of Libya, where Muammar Gaddafi has threatened to strike back in Europe.

David Lea, Western Europe analyst, at Control Risks said: "There certainly aren't any domestic Norwegian terrorist groups although there have been some al Qaeda-linked arrests from time to time. They are in Afghanistan and were involved in Libya, but it's far too soon to draw any conclusions."

(Additional reporting by Gwladys Fouche in Oslo and Peter Apps and William Maclean in London; Writing by Alister Doyle; Editing by Alastair Macdonald)

[bigross86]

Oslo, once the seating place of an effort for peace between two peoples and religions has now joined the list as yet another victim. May the dead rest in peace

[antimony]

RIP, may the perps toast in hell

[ace16807]

It appears there has also been a shooting at a summer camp in Norway as well.

OSLO, Norway — Terrorism struck long-peaceful Norway on Friday when a bomb ripped open buildings including the prime minister's office and a man dressed as a police officer opened fire at an island youth camp connected to the ruling party. At least seven people were killed in the blast and a witness said more than 20 died in the shootings on the nation's worst outpouring of violence since World War II.

Andre Scheie told Norwegian broadcaster NRK that he saw "very many dead by the shore" of the camp on Utoya island, where the youth wing of the Labor Party was holding a summer camp for hundreds of youths. He said some victims were shot in the water after trying desperately to swim away. "There are about 20 to 25 dead," he said.

Police did not immediately confirm the account. but Inspector Bjoern Erik Sem-Jacobsen said a suspect in the shooting has been arrested. He said the gunman, who was dressed as a police officer, pulled out a gun and started firing into the crowd of youths.

Acting Police Chief Sveinung Sponheim told broadcaster NRK that investigators suspect the two attacks are linked.

A square in Oslo, where the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded, was covered in twisted metal, shattered glass and documents expelled from surrounding buildings, which house government offices and the headquarters of some of Norway's leading newspapers. Most of the windows in the 20-floor high-rise where Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg and his administration work were shattered.

Stoltenberg was working at home Friday and was unharmed, according to senior adviser Oivind Ostang.

Ian Dutton, who was in a nearby hotel, said the building "shook as if it had been struck by lightning or an earthquake." He looked outside and saw "a wall of debris and smoke."

Dutton, who is from New York, said the scene reminded him of Sept. 11 — people "just covered in rubble" walking through "a fog of debris."

"It wasn't any sort of a panic," he said, "It was really just people in disbelief and shock, especially in a such as safe and open country as Norway, you don't even think something like that is possible."

Public broadcaster NRK showed video of a blackened car lying on its side amid the debris. An AP reporter who was in the office of Norwegian news agency NTB said the building shook from the blast and all employees were evacuated. Down in the street, he saw one person with a bleeding leg being led away from the area.

Oslo police said the explosion was caused by "one or more" bombs, but declined to speculate on who was behind the attack. They later sealed off the nearby offices of broadcaster TV 2 after discovering a suspicious package.

At Utoya, an island outside Oslo, a gunman dressed in a police uniform opened fire at a summer camp, shooting several youths, party spokesman Per Gunnar Dahl told The Associated Press. The annual camp is organized by the youth wing of Stoltenberg's Labour Party.

"There has been an incident where a man dressed in a police uniform started shooting among the youngsters on the island. This created a panic situation where people started to swim from the island" to escape, he said. Dahl said unconfirmed reports said five people were hit.

The explosion occurred at 3:30 p.m. (1330 GMT), as Ole Tommy Pedersen stood at a bus stop 100 meters (yards) away.

"I saw three or four injured people being carried out of the building a few minutes later," Pedersen told AP.

The United States, European Union, NATO and the U.K., all quickly condemned the bombing, which Britain's Foreign Secretary William Hague called "horrific" and NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen deemed a "heinous act."

In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Heide Bronke Fulton called the violence "despicable." There has been no confirmation of any U.S. casualties, she said. The U.S. Embassy in Norway warned Americans to avoid downtown Oslo.

The U.S. has offered help to Norwegian authorities but there has been no specific request for assistance, she said.

The attacks come as Norway grapples with a homegrown terror plot linked to al-Qaida. Two suspects are in jail awaiting charges.

Last week, a Norwegian prosecutor filed terror charges against an Iraqi-born cleric for threatening Norwegian politicians with death if he is deported from the Scandinavian country. The indictment centered on statements that Mullah Krekar — the founder of the Kurdish Islamist group Ansar al-Islam — made to various news media, including American network NBC.

Terrorism has also been a concern in neighboring Denmark since an uproar over cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad six years ago. Danish authorities say they have foiled several terror plots linked to the 2005 newspaper cartoons that triggered protests in Muslim countries. Last month, a Danish appeals court on Wednesday sentenced a Somali man to 10 years in prison for breaking into the home of the cartoonist.



Read more: Police: Camp shooter also linked to Oslo bombing | Top AP Stories | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

[YellowFever]

RIP to those who clearly did not deserve the faith they got.

It's going to be fascinating to see how the citizens react to this.

Are their backs going to stiffen or is it going to turn into jello.

[Mihais]

Let's not be prejudiced.Perhaps some right wing extremists did it.I mean,who cares crime in Noway is a monopoly of 3d worlders? Let's see what the investigation brings. :pop:

RIP the dead.


About the reaction,it's not important for now.In time it will stiffen,no doubt about that.Oslo,welcome to modern history.Which one is next?

[kato]

Let's not be prejudiced.Perhaps some right wing extremists did it.

Considering the shooting at the Labour Party Youth camp that's probably the more likely explanation. Don't forget that right wing extremists are the second largest political bloc in Norway (Fremskrittspartiet, a Thatcherite xenophobe anti-islamist nationalist conservative-libertarian party - or in one word, bunch of Neonazis).

[Double Edge]

Don't forget that right wing extremists are the second largest political bloc in Norway (Fremskrittspartiet, a Thatcherite xenophobe anti-islamist nationalist conservative-libertarian party - or in one word, bunch of Neonazis).

Oh come on, that vanilla description would fit any right of centre party any where in the world. But why did you stick the words extremist & neonazi in there

If they're the second largest political bloc then there is no need to resort to terrorism. They have a good chance at the polls.

No, its the ppl that have very little support amongst the locals but want to make a statement that would resort to this sort of mayhem.

Still cannot figure it out. Why Oslo of all places ? Feel sorry for the Norwegians

A square in Oslo, where the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded, was covered in twisted metal, shattered glass and documents expelled from surrounding buildings, which house government offices and the headquarters of some of Norway's leading newspapers.

Absolutely taking the piss

[kato]

But why did you stick the words extremist & neonazi in there

Fremskrittspartiet is usually considered to be comparable to e.g. the Austrian FPÖ or the Dutch Lijst Pim Fortuyn. They're not as extremist as say Front National, but they have a racist-populist wing that even outdoes FN.

No, its the ppl that have very little support amongst the locals but want to make a statement that would resort to this sort of mayhem.

The person arrested - after the shooting a few dozen km south of Oslo - is known to be part of certain domestic anti-government circles according to news agency NTB. Norwegian news channel TV2 (whose offices were evacuated in the evening due to another bomb threat) claims he's known to be part of a domestic right-wing extremist group. Oslo police is officially assuming the two acts to not have an international islamist but a domestic background.

Why Oslo of all places ?

It's the only city in Norway. And the seat of the government. The "surrounding buildings housing government offices" include the office of Norway's minister-president, the oil and energy ministry and several minor ministries, all of which were damaged in the bombing.

Edit: Someone should update the thread title btw. Current count is 7 dead in Oslo and 10 in Utoya. At least 20 seriously injured.

[Bigfella]

Intersting article for 2 reasons. First, it confirms that there are reports the guy has links to right wing extremism. Second, a chunk of the article seems to be an attempt to undermine the opening paragraph. Par for the course at the Tele I'm afraid. They have their story to tell no matter what the facts.

OSLO - The Norwegian man detained after twin attacks in Norway on Friday has links to right-wing extremism, independent Norwegian television TV2 reported on Saturday, without disclosing its sources.


Police were searching a flat in west Oslo where the man lived, TV2 said.


At least 17 people were feared dead in Norway on Friday night after a gunman mowed down students at a summer camp hours after a bomb had devastated the centre of Oslo.


Ten youths attending a political gathering were reported to have been shot dead when a terrorist disguised as a policeman opened fire on a holiday island on a lake near the capital.


Seven people had earlier been killed in central Oslo when a car bomb went off outside the country's main government building. Members of the country's ruling Labour Party were the targets in both cases.


British security forces were immediately placed on alert amid fears that Norway's worst terrorist outrage might be the first in a series of attacks on the West.


The carnage followed repeated warnings that al-Qaida was planning a Mumbai-style attack on countries involved in the war in Afghanistan.


At least one Islamic terror group quickly claimed the attacks were "revenge" for Norway's engagement in Afghanistan, and for the publication of cartoons of the prophet Mohammed in Denmark.


However, a gunman arrested on the island of Utoya was described as blond, white, and speaking fluent Norwegian, raising the possibility that the attacks could have been linked to domestic politics. Police said they had also linked the suspect to the bomb attack on Oslo.


Witnesses reported teenagers throwing themselves into the notoriously dangerous waters around the island in a desperate attempt to flee the bullets. Rescue workers claimed to have seen between 20 and 30 bodies floating in the water.


Andre Skeie, 26, who took his boat to the island to help evacuate people, said: "I've seen it with my own eyes, at least 20 dead people lying in the water." Relatives and friends of those caught up in the attack were warned not to phone in case the ringing gave away the location of those hiding from the gunman.


"We were in the grass. We had to be quiet as we hid," said Lisa Irene Johansen, one of the crowd. "He was wearing a police uniform, with a shooting vest, and there was complete panic as he shot."


The powerful explosion targeting the office of Jens Stoltenberg, the country's prime minister, at 3.15pm, caused widespread destruction to the oil ministry and several media outlets, including the state broadcaster, NRK and Norwegian tabloid newspaper VG.


Most of the windows in the 20-floor building where Mr Stoltenberg worked were shattered. Mr Stoltenberg, who was working at home, spoke briefly by phone from a secure location. Struggling to cope with the enormity of the attack, he said the army would be mobilized to assist the police. "It's important that we don't let ourselves be scared. Because the purpose of that kind of violence is to create fear," he added.


Bodies lay strewn among the devastation in Oslo. Eyewitnesses described torsos hanging out of broken windows and corpses lying untouched in the wreckage-strewn streets.


"It looks like a war zone. It doesn't look as if one is in Norway. All the windows are ruined. The whole entrance area is crushed," said Anne Marte Blindheim, a journalist at the scene. "There is blood and case documents all around and crushed cars. A car is laying on the side, completely burnt out."


David Cameron released a statement expressing solidarity with the Norwegian people, saying that "we can overcome this evil". "I was outraged to hear about the explosion in Oslo and attack in Utoya today that have killed and injured innocent people," he said.


"My thoughts are with the wounded and those who have lost friends and family, and I know everyone in Britain will feel the same. "These attacks are a stark reminder of the threat we all face from terrorism. I have called Prime Minister Stoltenberg this evening to express my sincere condolences and to let him know that our thoughts are with the Norwegian people at this tragic time.


"I have offered Britain's help, including through our close intelligence co-operation. We will work with Norway to hunt the murderers who did this and prevent any more innocent deaths. We can overcome this evil, and we will."


President Barack Obama, who visited Oslo in 2009 to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, said the American government had offered Norway any help necessary. "We have to work co-operatively together on intelligence and in terms of prevention of these kinds of horrible attacks," he said. "Our hearts go out to them and we will provide any support we can to them."


The U.K. terrorist alert level remained at "substantial" last night, meaning an attack was a strong possibility.


Analysts at MI5 were working late into the night to track down any possible links between extremists in Britain and Norway. Norway's Police Security Service (PST), the equivalent of MI5, rounded up an alleged terrorist cell with links to Britain almost exactly a year ago.


Mikael Davud had allegedly been in contact with Rashid Rauf, a British al-Qaida commander who was also running simultaneous plots in Manchester, aimed at Easter shoppers, and in New York, aimed at the city's metro. The PST also found passport photographs of Ibrahim Adam, one of Britain's most wanted terrorist suspects, at Davud's sixth floor flat, causing an international alert over concerns that he was trying to return to Britain to launch an attack.

© Copyright (c) The Daily Telegraph

Read more: Man held after Norway attacks right-wing extremist: Reports



Man held after Norway attacks right-wing extremist: Reports

[Dago]

Ok this just changed - now reported 80 dead just by the shooting at a youth club. How can one person kill 80 people? I could guarantee you, if I had a concealed license, well at least I could arguably defend my self reasonably. Even if my weapon was in a lock box near my car.

However after reading more "The camp on the small, wooded island in Tyrifjord lake was full of youngsters 14 to 18 years old, attending an event run by the Labor Party."

Basically the most defenseless part of our population. Why isn't there perhaps security at such a large camp? I know here in the US, there is some security presence at schools. It amazes me that 80 died, I don't think it was only one person, and that is just madness. Thats as much casualties you can see in conflict one day in Iraq at the start... just madness

[Guest]

ABC NEWS - More than 80 dead as twin attacks leave Norway reeling

Police say more than 80 people have been killed in Norway after twin attacks in the capital Oslo and at a political party's youth camp on a nearby island.

A 32-year-old Norwegian man is thought to have opened fire on teenagers at the Labour Party youth camp on Utoya island shortly after detonating a huge explosion outside the prime minister's office in the capital.

Norwegian police said at least 80 people had been killed on the island alone and said the attacks had taken on "catastrophic dimensions".

Witnesses described how the gunman, who was dressed as a policeman, kicked wounded people in the head to check if they were still alive before shooting them dead.

Terrified campers cowered behind walls and jumped into the water to escape the carnage.

"The updated knowledge we are sitting on now is at least 80 [dead]," police chief Oystein Maeland told a news conference. "We can't guarantee that won't increase somewhat," he said, adding some were badly injured.

Previously, police had said that at least 10 people had been killed in at Utoya, along with seven killed by the bomb in central Oslo.

Undetonated explosives were found on the island and police are warning residents to stay home as there could be more explosives hidden in Oslo's city centre.

Utoya island, where the shooting happened, is north-west of Oslo and was hosting a camp for around 600 young members of prime minister Jens Stoltenberg's Labour Party.

There is speculation the male suspect is a right-wing extremist but it is not yet known if he acted alone.

Police closed Norway's borders after the attacks and have not ruled out other people being involved.

Mr Stoltenberg delivered a televised address in the wake of the attacks and said the country was in shock.

"We've all been shaken by the evil that struck us so brutally. I have a message to whoever attacked us: you will not destroy us. You will not destroy our democracy," he said.

'Nazi movie'

Swat team arrives at Utoya Photo: A SWAT team take aim as they arrive on the island of Utoya. (AFP: Jan Bjerkeli )

On Utoya island, witnesses described how people cowered in buildings and jumped into the water to swim for their lives as the gunman opened with an automatic weapon.

Among the wounded was Adrian Pracon, who was shot in the left shoulder as the gunman opened fire.

Speaking to ABC News 24 from hospital, he said the scene on the island was like a "Nazi movie" and described how he felt the heat from the barrel of the gunman's weapon.

"He was armed with a gun and he was shooting people at close range and starting to shoot at us. He stood first 10 metres from me and shooting at people in the water," he said.

"He had an M16, it did look like a machine gun. When I saw him from the side yelling that he was about to kill us, he looked like he was taken from a Nazi movie or something.

"He started shooting at these people, so I laid down and acted as if I was dead. He stood maybe two metres away from me. I could hear him breathing. I could feel the heat of the machine gun.

"He was very near. I heard a big boom and for a second I couldn't hear anything in my left ear. But I didn't think I was shot because it felt like something just hit me and peeled off. But it turned out I was shot pretty badly.

"He tried everyone, he kicked them to see if they were alive, or he just shot them.

"From what I saw he had one thing on his mind.

"Many of these bodies are laying in the water and drifting around the island.

"The shooting started at 5:00pm. The meeting we had was just half an hour sooner, so when the shooting started, from 5:00pm it was maybe two hours before we saw police, before they were circling with the helicopter and they had the situation under control.

Mr Pracon said he jumped into the water to swim for safety but turned around when he saw that the opposite shore was around 700 metres away.

"I swam back because I saw it was impossible for me to swim over. I'm very glad I did.

"Some of my friends tried to stop him by talking to him. Many people thought that it was a test ... comparing it to how it is to live in Gaza. So many people went to him and tried to talk to him, but they were shot immediately."

As night fell boats continued to search for survivors in the water, with spotlights sweeping the coast and helicopters flying overhead.

"I just saw people jumping into the water, about 50 people swimming towards the shore. People were crying, shaking, they were terrified," said Anita Lien, 42, who lives by Tyrifjord lake, a few hundred metres from Utoya.

"They were so young, between 14 and 19 years old."

Survivor Jorgen Benone, who was on the island at the time, said: "I saw people being shot. I tried to sit as quietly as possible. I was hiding behind some stones. I saw him once, just 20, 30 metres away from me. I thought 'I'm terrified for my life', I thought of all the people I love."

"A man in police uniform called young people, telling them: 'Come here', and then executed them," a witness told national broadcaster NRK.

Another witness said he saw at least 20 bodies after the shooting.

"I've seen it with my own eyes, at least 20 dead people lying in the water", Andre Skeie, 26, said.

Mr Skeie had gone to the island on his boat to help people evacuate the island.

"I received an SMS that said: 'There is gunfire, I am hiding,' said the father of a girl attending the summer camp.

"We communicated by SMS. She told me not to call so as not to give away her hiding place."
Oslo in ruins

Norway rocked by explosion Photo: An injured woman is helped by a man at the scene of a powerful explosion that rocked central Oslo on July 22, 2011. (Reuters: Morten Holm)

The attack in Oslo left the area around the explosion a picture of urban desolation, with building skeletons left standing after an explosion heard kilometres away.

With police advising people to evacuate central Oslo, and some soldiers taking up positions on the streets, the usually sleepy capital was gripped by fear of fresh attacks. Streets were strewn with shattered masonry, glass and twisted steel.

Witnesses described the ground shaking like an earthquake as the bomb blast rang out through the city like heavy thunder.

Police set up a cordon around the blast zone to keep the public away and heavy machinery was being used to clean up the debris.

Police confirmed a bomb was behind the blast which tore through the government quarter which is home to the prime minister's office, the finance ministry and some of the country's leading media.

There were no reports of any senior government officials being killed or wounded.

"We can confirm that we have seven dead and two have been seriously injured" in the bomb attack, a police spokesman told reporters at a briefing in Oslo.

"It is the most violent event to strike Norway since World War II," said Geir Bekkevold, an opposition parliamentarian for the Christian Peoples Party.

Police said they believed the two attacks were connected.

"There are good reasons to believe that there is a link between the events," police commissioner Sveinung Sponheim told reporters in Oslo.

Oslo's mayor Fabian Stang said the capital was struggling to come to terms with the idea that it had joined the list of cities targeted by bombers.

"Today we think about those people living in New York and London who have experienced this kind of thing," he told Britain's Sky News

"I do not think it is possible for us to understand what has happened today but hopefully we will be able to go on and that tomorrow Oslo will be a peaceful city again."

The EU condemned the attacks as "acts of cowardice" and the NATO chief denounced the attacks as "heinous".

Prime Minister Julia Gillard extended her sympathies to Norway and said Australia would help "in any way we can".

More than 80 dead as twin attacks leave Norway reeling - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

The thing I want to say first is, I'm glad we caught this guy alive. The second thing is, I hope he gets whats coming to him.

From the report it seems the death toll from the camp is 80 with the possibility it could be higher. They still searching for victims in the water.

Ok this just changed - now reported 80 dead just by the shooting at a youth club. How can one person kill 80 people?

- Initial reports say it took police nearly 2 hours to get there and establish control.

- On an island with no escape route with other shore being at least 700m? away. Those that attempted were shot in the water.

- Seems he was very methodical about it. Kicking the injured to see if they were alive then killing them.

- Dressed as a police officer it seemed, so some of the victims actual ran towards him.

- As you said 14-18 year olds. Some of them thought it was a camp test initially and went to talk/plead with the killer.

[Dago]

More than 80 dead as twin attacks leave Norway reeling - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

The thing I want to say first is, I'm glad we caught this guy alive. The second thing is, I hope he gets whats coming to him.

From the report it seems the death toll from the camp is 80 with the possibility it could be higher. They still searching for victims in the water.



- Initial reports say it took police nearly 2 hours to get there and establish control.

- On an island with no escape route with other shore being at least 700m? away. Those that attempted were shot in the water.

- Seems he was very methodical about it. Kicking the injured to see if they were alive then killing them.

- Dressed as a police officer it seemed, so some of the victims actual ran towards him.

- As you said 14-18 year olds. Some of them thought it was a camp test initially and went to talk/plead with the killer.

Ah, yeah, I forgot that it was an island when I read it in a earlier report and when I read the latest I entirely forgot about the isolation and was just looking at the sheer casualty numbers! Explains the response time.

[S2]

My sympathy to the Norwegian people and my prayers for the families and friends of those dying or hurt in this tragedy. This is simply awful.

[Sharapthai]

R.I.P. the dead and I pray the injured recover soon.