The Minister of Justice, Astri Aas-Hansen, calls the explosion outside the United States Embassy “an unacceptable incident that is being taken with the utmost seriousness”. The explosion places the government in considerable embarrassment. There are no other NATO countries where bombs have been detonated outside the United States Embassy.

– This is an unacceptable incident that is being taken with the utmost seriousness, Aas-Hansen says in a statement sent to NTB.

– The police have informed that they are investigating the case with substantial resources, and that nothing indicates that the situation is dangerous for bystanders.

There is scarcely any doubt that the explosion is directly connected to the war in the Middle East. The explosion must raise the level of preparedness among the authorities. It has now been demonstrated that there are persons in Norway who are willing to use explosives against American or Israeli targets.