Coming just one day after the terror attack in Stockholm, Sweden that country’s neighbor, Norway, potentially prevented a terror incident of its own. The Local quotes police in Norway as stating that a crude, handmade explosive device was found Saturday evening close to a busy subway station in Oslo, the country's capital.
Reportedly a section of the busy Grønland district of Oslo was immediately cordoned off by police, who evacuated several local restaurants and bars. On Saturday night, bomb disposal officers carried out a controlled explosion on the device.
However, officials did say the device only had the capacity to cause limited damage
Asylum seeker from Russia arrested in Oslo
ABC News reports that a suspect has been taken into custody and is a 17-year-old Asylum Seeker from Russia. Signe Aaling of Norway’s PST security service said the teenager was arrested on suspicion of handling explosives, but they do not, as yet, know whether he was planning an attack with the crude device. Aaling added that they are now investigating in order to find out the youth’s intentions and whether anyone else is involved.
While the asylum-seeker has not been identified by Norway police, Benedicte Bjornland – head of the security service – said officials are aware of the teenager.
He reportedly arrived in Norway together with his family in 2010. According to Bjornland, the youth is involved in “extreme Islamist” circles in the country and was arrested after officials received a tip via the public.
Norway police destroy 'bomb-like' device in Oslo https://t.co/bu6J29Ir1p pic.twitter.com/pVerArMsby
— FRANCE 24 English (@France24_en) April 9, 2017
Bjornland went on to speak of the various terror attacks that have happened in Europe recently, with the latest being the extremist attack in Stockholm, Sweden.
In that attack a Uzbek citizen drove a stolen beer truck into a crowd in the center of the city, killing four people and injuring 15 others.
She said that this type of attack can lead to a “copycat effect” in Norway among people who have “Islamic sympathies.” Bjornland added that such attacks show how easy they are to carry out and this shows others it is possible for them to do something similar.
Explosive device was just ‘boyish stupidity’ according to lawyer
According to the young asylum seeker's lawyer, Aase Karine Sigmond, her client, denies any wrongdoing and says he is not, in any way, involved with the Islamic State. According to Sigmond, what he was doing was just “boyish stupidity.” However, the youth, a resident of Oslo, will be attending a pre-trial custody hearing Monday.
