Norwegian police officers have arrested three brothers from an Iraqi family over a bomb attack on the US embassy in Oslo.
The attack has been linked to the US-Israeli war on Iran, with suspicions over criminal gang networks working on behalf of Iranian intelligence.
The explosion on Sunday damaged one of the entrances to the embassy, sending thick smoke billowing into the street but causing no injuries.
The trio were arrested in Oslo on Wednesday afternoon after an investigation and were taken into custody. They could face charges of intention of taking life or causing significant damage.
Images of one of the suspects released by police on Monday showed a hooded person, whose face was not visible, wearing dark clothes and carrying a bag or rucksack.
Christian Hatlo, an Oslo police spokesman, said the brothers are all in their 20s and are Norwegian citizens with an Iraqi background.
Police say one of the brothers is suspected of planting the bomb at the embassy entrance.
They believe the attack may have been ordered by a state actor. “It's natural, given the security situation,” said Mr Hatlo. “Another theory is connection to the criminal environment.”
A hack on the US embassy web page shortly after the explosion added to suspicions that the Americans were being targeted.
Iran has previously used criminals to target an opposition television station in the UK, leading to fears it could launch strikes on US and Israeli targets in Europe.
Experts have told The National it is plausible Iran has hired a local criminal to carry out the attack, a strategy that fits into an established pattern of how the regime operates, including the posting of videos as part of psychological warfare.
In the hack, the 15-second footage appears to consist of a clip of Iran's late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei addressing a crowd and AI-generated footage of him walking through an open door.
The accompanying text can be translated as: “Has he gone? Where has he gone? He went again! He wanted to go again … ”
