http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4098821,00.html Oslo blast damages government HQ
Massive explosion rocks downtown Oslo, said to target government compound. Blast kills one, injures at least eight people; several buildings damaged
News agencies
Published: 07.22.11, 17:29 / Israel News
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A massive explosion rocked central Oslo on Friday, killing one person and injuring several others. The blast severely damaged several government buildings, including the Prime Minister’s Office.
There were no immediate reports as to the casualties' exact condition, but one fatality has been confirmed. Government spokeswoman Camilla Ryste said that Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg was unharmed.
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Initial reports said at least eight people were injured in the massive explosion, which according to eyewitnesses damaged buildings in a radius spanning several hundreds yards. One eyewitness said he saw the blast shatter almost all windows of a 17-storey high-rise.
Norwegian authorities have yet to determine whether the explosion was an act of terror. The charred wreckage of car has been found nearby, but authorities have yet to determine whether the explosion was the result of a car bomb.
According to Norway's NRK radio, the explosion appears to have taken place near the Ministry of Finance, in close proximity to the building housing the headquarters of the Norwegian Prime Minister.
Nearby offices were evacuated including, those housing some of Norway's leading newspapers and news agency NTB. Some of them were also severely damaged.
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The blast comes as the Scandinavian country has grappled with a series of homegrown terror plots linked to al-Qaeda, and six years after an uproar over cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in neighboring Denmark.
Last week, a Norwegian prosecutor filed terror charges against an Iraqi-born cleric for threatening Norwegian politicians with death if he's deported from the Nordic country.