The mother of three brothers charged in the bombing of the US Embassy in Oslo last weekend has also been arrested. All four have been formally charged with terror bombing, and on Friday the county court granted the prosecutor’s request to hold them in custody for at least the next four weeks, while the police investigation continues.
The youngest of the three brothers, all in their 20s, has admitted to placing the bomb outside the embassy, where it exploded at around 1am on Sunday. He has also gone along with the police’s request to keep him in custody as the case proceeds.
The three other family members, meanwhile, all deny the charges against them and had demanded to be released from police custody. The defense attorney for the mother of the three men, a Norwegian citizen in her 50s, also contested the custody request. “She’s confused,” her defense attorney, Aase Karine Sigmond, told reporters on Friday. “She has no idea why she’s been charged in such a serious case.”
Investigators from the police and Norway’s domestic intelligence agency PST believe the bombing of the US Embassy is tied to the ongoing war in the Middle East. The bomb that went off at the embassy was home-made and all four of those charged so far live at the same address on Oslo’s east side. Police haven’t ruled out more arrests.
Friday’s custody hearing was closed to the public. None of the suspects has any prior police records.
NewsinEnglish.no staff
