Norway discovers 'bomb-like device' in capital

Oslo police in Norway announced on April 8 that they had discovered a "bomb-like device" in a central area of ​​the capital. At least one suspect was later arrested.

Norwegian special police officers on the streets of Oslo in 2014 - Photo: AFP

On its official Twitter page, Norwegian police said: "It appears that the device was capable of causing damage, but only to a certain extent. Other necessary investigations are still underway."

A Reuters reporter in Greenland, where the bomb-like device was found, said police had cordoned off much of the surrounding area.

A loud explosion was heard after the bomb squad entered. The device has likely been defused, Reuters reporters reported.

"It was much louder than what the police had expected," an Oslo police spokesman said, adding that an investigation at the scene was underway.

No further information is available about the motive behind the incident. Police have declined to provide information about the arrested suspect.

After recent incidents, especially the terrorist attack in Sweden on April 7, security in Nordic countries, including Norway, has been increased.

Oslo's Groenland is an ethnically diverse area with many popular restaurants and bars as well as several mosques. The suspected explosive device was found less than 1km from the Oslo police station, Reuters added.

The most recent bomb attack in Norway occurred in 2011 when Anders Behring Breivik, a far-right extremist, detonated a car bomb in Oslo, killing eight people, damaging Norwegian government buildings before going on a shooting rampage that killed 69 others.

According to Tuoi Tre