Central Oslo was brought to a standstill this evening following an explosion, with police detonating a grenade and arresting one man.
Norwegian police are now probing the blast, which led to warnings for the public to keep their distance due to the likelihood of more explosives being present, according to officers.
Drones were seen hovering over Oslo’s city centre shortly after 9pm, where police carried out a controlled detonation of a grenade. The news emerges as a report outlines the fears hundreds of Met Police officers hired without vetting.
Residents were alerted to the blast via a warning on their mobile phones, sent by authorities. The message read: “There has been an explosion in the area (called) Pilestredet.
Given that there is still an explosive device in the area, the police wish that people stay away from windows. As of now, we are not evacuating the area.”
The detonations occurred near a university campus. No injuries have been reported at the site and the area remains cordoned off by police.
They later discovered a planted hand grenade and other undetonated devices at the scene. The grenade is believed to have been left on a tram line, reports the Mirror.
Oslo’s Fire and Rescue Service were also informed of the incident and attended the scene to assist police.
Shocked residents described how the explosions were so loud it hurt their ears. “There was a big bang,” one resident told Norwegian media outlet NRK.
“We just saw someone grab a man in a hood who ran from the scene.”
Another witness said the area near Bislett Stadium smelt like it was burning.
Following the sighting of drones in Oslo just a day prior, Norwegian media reported that unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were flown over the Akershus Fortress, a medieval castle, leading to two arrests.
In a separate incident, up to three autonomous UAVs were reportedly detected in the airspace over Copenhagen Airport in Denmark, prompting a swift police response and temporary closure of the airport.
