Police in Larvik, southwest of Oslo, were holding a 27-year-old man in custody on Monday after finding large amounts of explosives at his home in a residential neighborhood. Experts claim the vast quantities found could have created a very large bomb.
The suspect has claimed that the fertilizer and other materials found by police were merely meant for creating home-made rockets. He said that making rockets was a hobby, but defense experts told newspaper Aftenposten that the quantities found at his home greatly exceeded that needed for rockets.
Aftenposten also reported that the suspect has expressed criticism of Islam on the Internet. Police are thus investigating whether he has any ties to confessed terrorist Anders Behring Breivik, another anti-Islamist who said he bombed government headquarters to launch a war against Islam.
The man now under arrest will be held in custody for at least two weeks while police continue to investigate the charges against him. He has a criminal record, including a conviction for violating weapons laws in 2004.
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