Norwegian police have sealed off a large area of the Gronland neighborhood in downtown Oslo after a suspected explosive device was discovered late Saturday. Police said that one person has been detained in connection with the incident.
The detained individual is being questioned as a suspect, Oslo police service said on its official Twitter page.
Police have conducted a controlled detonation of the suspicious object, police spokesman Svein Arild Jørundland told VG, adding that at the moment it is unknown whether the device actually contained any explosive elements.
However, he noted that the blast appeared to be more powerful than expected in case of an ordinary detonation, adding that bomb disposal experts have been examining the aftermath of the explosion.
Eyewitnesses report that a large number of police cars and ambulances have been called to the area.
Police earlier said on Twitter that they believe the device “does not have a huge potential for injuries.”
The suspiciously-looking item was found near a bridge on Grønlandsleiret, one of the Norwegian capital’s main streets, Jørundland told VG, adding that a bomb squad has been dispatched to the scene.
