Advertisement

Bomb squad called to Oslo synagogue

NTB/The Local
NTB/The Local - [email protected]
Bomb squad called to Oslo synagogue
Oslo's synagogue. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Norway police evacuated the area around Oslo's synagogue on Thursday night after a man was reported leaving a "suspicious object". By 10pm, bomb specialists had judged the object harmless.

Advertisement

Ervin Kohn, who heads Oslo's Jewish Community, told NTB that a security guard patrolling the road outside the synagogue had alerted the police after seeing a man running out of a building opposite the synagogue leaving the bag behind him. 
 
"We think it's terrific that the police reacted so quickly and took this seriously," Kohn said. "It gives us confidence." 
 
The bag was first reported at 8.15pm, and the bomb squad arrived an hour later by which time police had closed off the surrounding streets and asked residents of nearby buildings to stay away from their buildings. 
 
Fears that Oslo's synagogue could be a target of future terror attacks have increased since Omar Abdel Hamid El-Hussein attacked a bat mitzvah party at a synagogue in Copenhagen, shooting dead Dan Uzan, who was working as a security guard at the event. 
 
After the attack, Norwegian Muslims arranged a 'Ring of Peace', holding hands in front of the synagogue in a symbolic act of solidarity which was reported across the world. 
 

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also