Norwegian police said on Tuesday, September 23, that they were investigating a blast on a street in central Oslo and had later carried out a controlled detonation of a second explosive device found at the site, Reuters reported. The incident took place near a university campus, about 500 meters (546 yards) from the royal palace and the Israeli embassy. A suspect was apprehended for questioning. The police also said that there were no reports of injuries.
The episode added to tensions, coming just a day after two of Scandinavia’s busiest airports were forced to close due to mystery drones. For some unknown reaosns and in not a very common practice, authorities sent an emergency message to residents’ mobile phones, warning them about the blast. The second device, according to police officer in charge Brian Skotnes, appeared to be a “military-style” hand grenade.
He told reporters, “We’ve apprehended one suspect and are intensively seeking more information as well as other people.” Skotnes added that the area was now safe, Reuters noted.
Minor arrested in Oslo blast
Later, TV2 and the daily Aftenposten, citing unnamed sources, reported that a 13-year-old boy had been apprehended in connection with the explosion. An X user further claimed, “UPDATE: The 13 year old was reportedly paid $3000 to commit the grenade attack in Oslo tonight.”
The mystery drone closed the airport a day before
Earlier on Monday, Oslo and Copenhagen airports were forced to shut down for several hours overnight (into Tuesday) after multiple drone sightings, disrupting travel for tens of thousands of passengers.
As per Reuters, the airspace over Copenhagen Airport was closed for nearly four hours on Monday night after two to three large “unidentified” drones were spotted in the area, halting both takeoffs and landings.
According to CNN, Denmark’s National Police Commissioner Thorkild Fogde said the drones were not amateur or hobby devices but large drones handled by a skilled operator. “This was not an accident of some kind. The way they went into the airspace, the number of drones, the time that they were in the airspace – altogether leads us to the conclusion that it must be some kind of more capable operator behind the drones,” he said.
Danish police Chief Superintendent Jens Jespersen told reporters on Tuesday that the drones approached from several directions, switched their lights on and off, and eventually disappeared after several hours, Reuters reported.
