Sunday, July 24, 2011

At least 91 killed in double attack on the Norwegian Government

Norway has experienced this day the black Friday. Two hours after a large explosions shook the government district of Oslo, destroying the offices of the Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, and other government buildings, has suffered a second attack. A man who has already been stopped, opened fire on a camp of the ruling Labour Party on the outskirts of Oslo, where Prime Minister was giving a lecture this Saturday.

Police have confirmed that both events, which have left many injured and at least 87 dead, are related. The number of fatalities that have made these "bloody and cowardly attack" is still unclear and the police has said it may rise, 'he has said in a press conference itself Stoltenberg, who has described the events of "national tragedy" .

In the heart of the capital are now seven confirmed dead. Hospital officials now speak more than a hundred wounded and Norwegian Blood Bank was quick to ask people to donate blood. No government official was wounded. On the other hand, the police reported that at least 84 people have died in the idyllic island of Utoya in a youth camp of the Social Democrats, as a result of the shooting, so the attack has taken "catastrophic" in his words.

According to the police in Oslo have been "one or several powerful explosions in the government district. So far, the police can not say anything about the extent of the damage." "It may have been a car bomb," said a senior police Langli Thor. Given the complex of government buildings attacked a vehicle was completely destroyed.

Two hours after the explosion (recorded at 15:26), a gunman attacked a camp of the ruling Labour Party on the island of Utoya (40 km from Oslo), where about 560 teenagers met with politicians. Apparently, the robber came to the site and identified himself as police, alleging that he had arrived as reinforcements after the blasts in the capital and soon after began firing indiscriminately.

Norwegian media reported that, after breaking open the aggressor and fire sparked panic and dozens of young concentrates, some of elos wounded, tried to escape by swimming. According to eyewitnesses recounted, some of them managed to reach safety in the boats sailing in the fjord. Police said the assailant, a 32 year old Norwegian named Anders Breivik Behring, who has been arrested, linked to the attack of Oslo, in fact, was seen at the site of the explosion before it took place.

Justice Minister Knut Storberget, has said that at this time of the investigation, do not know whether he acted alone or had an accomplice. Norwegian media Behring Anders Breivik identified as related to environments and ultra-right, the newspaper "VG", posted messages on the Internet had declared enemy of the nationalist and multicultural society.

"It's too early to say who is behind it. Find those responsible and ask them to account," he said at the same hearing the prime minister. "They will not destroy our democracy. We are a proud nation. No one trigger to shut (...) Our answer is more democracy. We owe it to the victims," he continued.

"Several of our young people have died and others have gone," lamented the Minister Storberget, without venturing to give a death toll in the camp Utoya. The balance of the tragedy on the island continues to rise. If initial reports spoke of four victims, police have already confirmed the death of 80 people, although many witnesses are already talking about a score: "There are many dead on the shore ...".

Police are still looking for people in the water. Some sources have said the prime minister was on the island when the shooting began. Police would not reveal its location during the afternoon but indicated that he was "safe." The island also was scheduled to attend the former president Gro Harlem Brundtland.

"There is a critical situation in Utoya" shortly after the attack said Stoltenberg. Hours after the shooting, the Norwegian police has found unexploded ordnance on the island. Police say he has "good reasons" to believe that this shooting is connected to the explosion (or explosions) in the center of Oslo, where seven were confirmed dead and 15 wounded, although the head of the city's main hospital estimated the number of injured could reach a hundred.

The "situation is grave," said Prime Minister Stoltenberg, announced a crisis meeting of his government. The explosion completely disappeared by the first and second floor of the building as its headquarters, 15 floors. The glass has flown as missiles in the area, while a cloud of smoke rose over the city.

Also the headquarters of the newspaper VG is completely destroyed. The place burns like hell. Coffee tables are full of blood nearby. As stated by the Norwegian Minister of Presidency, Hans Kristian Amands, the BBC had people trapped in buildings. "I busted the windows of the building of the VG and the seat of government.

There are people lying in the street bleeding," explained a reporter from NRK radio. The district government had a lot of people in 'shock and panic attacks. The area has organized a wide array of firefighters and police because there were still pockets with fire from the explosion and smoke in the area.

"There is glass everywhere, it is total chaos. The windows of surrounding buildings all have exploded, "said a journalist from the chain, says it was" an earthquake. "Shortly after the explosion, police have cordoned off the five blocks from the blast site, while government agencies evacuated from the area fearing further explosions.

During the afternoon, there have been near the place in search of other possible artifacts. After the shooting, the army has taken positions in the center of Oslo and the police have been asked the population to abandon the center of the capital. "The situation is under control, but it was a terrible day," said the mayor told CNN in Oslo, Fabian Stang.

Police have appealed to people, asking to avoid large congregations of people no longer go to downtown Oslo. The justice minister has urged the population to remain in their homes, away from large concentrations of people and not use or mobile phones or network connections. This is the first terrorist attack in the history of the Scandinavian country, known for performances in favor of peace, who did not suffer an attack so severe since the Second World War.

initially said that it was an Islamist attack, after the terrorist group Ansar al-Jihad al-Alami, Collaborating Global Jihad, issued a statement claiming responsibility for the attack. The group then recanted. David Lea, an analyst at Control Risks, told Reuters that "it is very difficult to know what has happened and certainly no domestic terrorist groups in Norway, although there have been some arrests linked to Al Qaeda from time to time." In any case, he insisted, is too early to draw conclusions.

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