Norwegian Police are investigating whether an explosion outside the US Embassy in Oslo is linked to the war in the Middle East.
“We see this as a targeted attack,” Frode Larsen, head of the police investigations, told reporters on Sunday after an explosive was thrown at one of the entrances of the US Embassy in the early hours. Police believe it’s “natural” to see the incident in relation to the Iran war, but are also considering other theories, he said.
The blast caused minor damage and police are looking for one or more suspects, they said. There were no casualties. There was already increased security around the US Embassy and elsewhere in Oslo, but police are now ramping up their presence even more, Larsen said.
The US and Israeli-led strikes against Iran have led to heightened security concerns globally. At least two dozen people were killed in protests outside several US consulates across Pakistan last week as demonstrations erupted after the killing of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The incident took place at about 1 a.m. local time in Oslo. The US Embassy deferred questions to the state department’s press office, which didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Investigations on Sunday have brought no clear answers, said Bjorn-Willy Wold, acting head of the counterterrorism unit at the Police Security Service.
“Since the perpetrator or perpetrators haven’t been identified, it’s important to hold all theories open,” Wold told reporters.
Dogs, drones and a helicopter are involved in the hunt for the perpetrators and a bomb squad was at the embassy earlier, the police said.
While the police consider the terror threat to remain moderate, “the threat picture is very complex and unpredictable,” Wold said. “The overall threat against US, Jewish and Israeli targets remains elevated.”
Norway’s justice minister Astri Aas-Hansen, who also oversees public security, said the incident was “unacceptable,” according to Norwegian newswire NTB. “There is no indication that the situation is dangerous for outsiders,” she said. – ©2026 Bloomberg L.P.
