An explosion took place July 22 near a government building in downtown Oslo that houses the office of Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg. The prime minister was not harmed in the blast; in fact, he was scheduled to attend a Labor Youth League summer camp in Utoya (an island outside Oslo which later came under attack by an unidentified gunman). The explosion was likely caused by a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED), and killed at least seven individuals. Superficial structural damage to buildings in the area was relatively widespread, and the downtown blast blew out most of the windows and caused some light structural damage at the Oil and Energy Department building and the building that houses the prime minister's office. The energy department building also caught fire, according to some reports. Police told Norwegian daily Dagbladet that a large automobile was believed to have driven up to the government building just before the explosion occurred. This, along with picture and video evidence, means that the attack could have well been a VBIED. If a VBIED was used, the fact that the buildings remained intact suggests good vehicular standoff distance through vehicle barriers. This may have forced the vehicle to remain in the street, where a crater between two buildings (likely the blast seat) was found.
