Sunday, July 24, 2011

Muslim Group Says It's Behind Oslo Blast
A group called "Helpers of Global Jihad" has taken responsibility for the bomb which ripped open buildings, including the prime minister's office, in Norway's capital, CBS News has learned.
It is apparently the same local shadowy extremist group that the Stockholm bomber in December 2010 had said he was connected to.
In the 2010 Stockholm blast, the bomb, in a backpack, went off prematurely and the bomber blew himself up. However, the bomber had left behind a video protesting the Afghanistan war and the killing of Muslims.
There is no confirmation that this group was indeed responsible. Investigators are also trying to determine if there are links to this jihadist group with the core al Qaeda organization. They are looking too to see if there may be a connection to three al Qaeda individuals recently arrested in Norway.
Traditionally on a Friday in Norway, government workers are allowed to leave early at 3 p.m. for the weekend -- and investigators speculate that the bomb may have been intended to inflict big casualty damage at that time.
The bomb -- an improvised explosive device -- may have been contained in a vehicle. The size and type of bomb is unknown at this time. Though a powerful blast, the bomb didn't bring down any buildings like the Oklahoma City bombing.
This Norway bomb was a significant blast but mostly glass and debris damage. There was no big crater immediately evident.

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