Three brothers arrested in Norway over bomb attack on US embassy in Oslo

Three Norwegian citizens with Iraqi heritage arrested as investigators probe possible foreign state involvement.Published On 11 Mar 2026Norwegian police say they have arrested three brothers suspected of carrying out Sunday’s “terror bombing” attack on the US embassy in Oslo.The unnamed men, all Norwegian citizens in their 20s with Iraqi heritage, were taken into custody in the Norwegian capital on Wednesday afternoon.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3US embassy in Baghdad attacked as US-Israel war on Iran escalateslist 2 of 3Blast at US Embassy in Oslo may have terror motive, Norway police saylist 3 of 3Canadian authorities investigating shooting at US consulate in Torontoend of listPolice lawyer Christian Hatlo told reporters the brothers were suspected of deliberately targeting the embassy with a powerful improvised explosive device (IED), with the intention of killing or causing serious harm.None of the three had previously come to police attention.Investigators believe one brother planted the bomb, while the other two played supporting roles in the plot. None had been questioned by the time of Wednesday’s news conference.Police vehicles park outside the US Embassy, after a loud bang was reported at the site, in Oslo, Norway, March 8, 2026 [Fredrik Varfjell/NTB via Reuters]The blast struck in the early hours of Sunday morning, at the entrance to the embassy’s consular section in western Oslo.A US official, speaking to The Associated Press news agency on condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the investigation, said the device had been concealed inside a backpack.Witnesses described the street filling with thick smoke following the explosion. There were no casualties. Police are examining whether the attack was carried out on behalf of a foreign government.“We are still working from several hypotheses,” Hatlo said. “One of them is whether this is an order from a government entity; this is quite natural, given the target and the security situation the world is in today.”