Explosion in Oslo

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

No threads here yet?
It looks like a very big explosion, one fatality reported so far. May be terrorism but bbc saying that is speculation.

[BadBagel]

:(

As if a bomb attack is not horrible enough but a youth camp :(

[GastonTheLadybird]

Really terrible :( the gunman dressed as police sounds like something from a horror film.

[SeaShellsMyDogSmells]

Twitter rumours of eyewitness sightings of over 20 bodies at the youth camp.
Understatement say dh is in shock and sickened. Thy are just kids :(

[SeaShellsMyDogSmells]

Thanks dh, they luckily are :( only thing is we are meant to have friends flying out tomorrow and unfortunately but understandably thu have shut the airport

[NerfHerder]

This is just so awful. Thinking of all of you in Norway tonight.

[BadBagel]

BBC is also saying 20-25 dead at the youth camp :(

[Empusa]

This is awful :( It's a terrifying world

(ps. did anyone hear the bloke on BBC News Live - he was just talking about the cartoon of Mohammed as if that was in Norway? It was Denmark!)

[suburbophobe]

I have a dear Norwegian friend in Oslo, as soon as I heard I sent her a text, thank god she and her kids are o.k.

Got CNN here -a.k.a. Constantly Negative News - they are brilliant for being permanently live in a situation like this (as in the Mumbai siege), and different political analysis. Is it Al Queda? Norway is in Afghanistan....

Or the far right? Wouldn't have thought they would have the capacity for such a large scale attack....

It just gets more horrible by the hour.

This is the first ever terrorist attack in Norway.

God bless and pray for them. And anyone here on MN who is affected.

[suburbophobe]

Yes, it could be to do with the cartoon thing in Denmark, they have a very high security there now, Norway may be seen as an "easy target" and after all, for most people in the world it's all lumped together as "Scandinavia"....

[moonstorm]

A few people have said Norway was an easy target. It's a nice country, though.

[Empusa]

So it may be that Norway is suffering for the actions of someone in another country? :(

[LemonDifficult]

Poor Norway.

[SeaShellsMyDogSmells]

Norway reprinted the cartoons and defended freedom of the press.

No idea of cause though. Norwegians are shouting down any racist or anti Islamic twitter reportings and the Norwegian press is reporting it in a very different manner to the BBC and CNN etc. They have always had peace keeping roles etc so never been an obvious target

[DuelingFanjo]

how sad. Sounds like a lone nutter though? Obviously we don't know but it just doesn't seem like it's some kind of international terrorist.

I am getting the feeling that the media in eneral would prefer if it was Al-Qaeda.

[SeaShellsMyDogSmells]

Looks possible, the guy arrested was Norwegian.

Yup-the international media are definitely pushing international terrorism, all the pundits were. Norwegian media was much more open to other possibilities

[moonstorm]

I feel bad I jumped the gun now. Interesting how different presses are reporting it.

[Riveninside]

Bbc news says he was norweigan. That will upset Fox news....

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

Got back in recently.

:( it is awful.

[NerfHerder]

They're saying now Anders Behring Breivik, a right-wing extremist.

[rimmerfleadick]

Reports in of at least 80 killed at Uttoya (Norwegian news)

www.nrk.no/

[TanteRose]

absolutely horrifying

the man they arrested is a 32 year old Norwegian man.

[ThumbsNoseAtSnapewitch]

The reporting is all over the place - reports now seem to be agreeing that there are over 80 dead which is truly awful. There is also a suggestion that the gunman is a white "ethnic" Norwegian, whatever that means (from the FT website):
"But Norwegian broadcaster TV2 said a suspect dressed as a policeman and arrested at the camp, who the authorities said was a 32-year old, white ?ethnic? Norwegian, had links to right wing extremism. Police believed he was involved in both attacks."

So sad - thoughts go out to Norway and its neighbours, and everyone affected.

[MyBrainIsOutOfTune]

Anders Behring Breivik (32) is arrested, the police are inclined to think he is behind it all - both the shooting and the bombing. The police have confirmed that at least 80 are dead at Utøya, and 7 from the bombing. Breivik is said to be on the extreme right, and has repeatedly expressed dissatisfaction with Norway's supposedly 'lenient' attitude towards multiculturalism and especially Muslims.

The papers are all over his Facebook page, telling us that he is a Christian, a Conservative, a Freemason, and plays World of Warcraft, all of which I'm sure is extremely relevant... More importantly, he registered a company in 2009 which was supposed to sell vegetables, making him able to buy fertilizers in bulk, and save up for a bomb. God knows how long he's been planning this for. I read up on the Oklahoma bomber on Wikipedia earlier today, and the similarities are many. It's terrifying that one man with enough determination is able to carry out an attack on this scale

[SeaShellsMyDogSmells]

:( truly truly horrific

Fucking bastard

[CogitoErgoSometimes]

The term 'ethnic' Norweigian I think is to clarify that this is not someone from a minority ethnic group or the typical profile for an Al Quaeda bomber. Extreme right home-grown politics, as I understand it, are an increasing problem in Sweden and Norway.