Twin terror attacks shock Norway

BBC
   Norway has been hit by twin attacks - a massive bomb blast in the capital and a shooting attack on young people at a governing Labour Party youth camp.

At least seven people were killed in the bombing, which inflicted huge damage on government buildings in Oslo.

At least 10 more died at the camp, on an island outside Oslo, police say. One witness said he had seen 20 bodies.

The suspected gunman was arrested at the camp and the government have confirmed that he is Norwegian.

Police have said that he is also linked with the bomb attack. Reports described him as tall and blond.

Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, whose Oslo offices were among those damaged by the bomb, described the attacks as "bloody and cowardly" in a news conference.

He said that Norway had been "shaken by evil" but that Norwegian democracy and ideals would not be destroyed.

"We are a small nation and a proud nation. No-one will bomb us to silence no-one will shoot us to silence," he said.

Norwegian media reports said the shootings at the island, on the Tyrifjorden lake, were carried out by a man in police uniform.

Several people from the island camp are still missing, government officials said. Police also confirmed that undetonated explosives were found on the island.

No group has said it carried out the attacks.

Car wreckage

In Oslo, rubble and glass from shattered windows littered the streets and smoke from the fires drifting across the city could be seen in television footage from the devastated government quarter.

Hours after the bomb struck, officials said some people were still inside the damaged buildings, some of which were on fire.

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All roads into the city centre have been closed, said national broadcaster NRK, as security officials evacuated people from the area, fearing another blast.

Government officials urged people to stay at home and avoid central areas of Oslo.

Earlier Egil Vrekke, Assistant Chief Constable of Oslo police told the BBC the rescue operation in Oslo was ongoing.

"We are issuing warnings just [to] make sure people are not in the area in case there are further explosions," he told the BBC.

"We have cordoned off large areas. There are bomb experts at the scene investigating whether there are other devices in the area."

A few hours after the explosion, a gunman opened fire at a camp in Utoeya for young members of the Labour Party.

NRK journalist Ole Torp said there were reports the gunman had been armed with a handgun, an automatic weapon and a shotgun.

"He travelled on the ferry boat from the mainland over to that little inland island posing as a police officer, saying he was there to do research in connection with the bomb blasts," he told the BBC.

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• Oslo blast: Your pictures

"He asked people to gather round and then he started shooting, so these young people fled into the bushes and woods and some even swam off the island to get to safety."

Mr Stoltenberg had been due to visit the camp on Saturday. Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Store, who visited the camp on Thursday, praised those who were attending.

"The country has no finer youth than young people who go for a summer camp doing politics, doing discussions, doing training, doing football, and then they experience this absolutely horrendous act of violence."

'Focus on rescue'

State Secretary Kristian Amundsen said Friday was a public holiday in Norway so the government offices were not as busy as they might usually have been.

"But there are many hundreds of people in these buildings every day," he told the BBC.

"We have to focus on the rescue operation - there are still people in the building, there are still people in the hospital."

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Reuters said the oil ministry was among the other government buildings hit, while NRK journalist Ingunn Andersen said the headquarters of tabloid newspaper VG were also damaged.

"It's complete chaos here. The windows are blown out in all the buildings close by," she told AP.

Oistein Mjarum, head of communications for the Norwegian Red Cross, which has offices nearby, said the blast could be heard across Oslo.

"We have never had a terrorist attack like this in Norway - if that's what it is - but of course this has been a great fear for all Norwegians when they have seen what has been happening around the world."

The United States has condemned the "despicable acts of violence" in Oslo, while the President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, said he was "deeply shocked" by "these acts of cowardice for which there is no justification".

Has Chandrababu gone back on 'T' State?

Hyderabad, Aug 25: TDP chief Chandra Babu Naidu appears to have back-tracked on his decision to give a second letter to the central government, supporting the formation of the Telangana state. 

Discussion has started in political circles about the intentions of Naidu as his party’s senior leader Payyavula Keshav, a staunch integrationist, has said that all his party chief said was that he would give clarity on the matter. He said Naidu has simply assured that his party would give clarity on the 'T' issue, and that does not mean support to bifurcation of the state, he said. 

However the Telangana leaders of the party are vouching that Naidu would give a letter to the center, supporting 'T' state. They became angry after Keshav has denied that Naidu has ever committed to give a letter. They also began suspecting that Naidu has gone back on his promise to give letter to the center. 

It may be recalled that TDP 'T' leaders have recently said that the letter to the central government was already drafted and announcement would be made after the ‘Liberation Day of Telangana’ on September 17. They also believed that the TDP chief had given up his ‘two-eye’ theory and decided to support Telangana formation. 

However, party leader Bireddy Rajasekhara Reddy has whipped up the separate Rayalaseema state demand. He said people of Rayalaseema would not mind remaining in the unified state, but want a separate Rayalaseema state if AP was to be divided. He has also sat in fast for four days, demanding formation of the third state. 

But 'T' leaders of the party continued to assert that come what may, their leader would send 'T' letter to the center. They even said that Chandra Babu Naidu has convinced the Seemandhra and Rayalaseema leaders on the issue. 

Confusion

Payyavula Keshav has stunned every one by stating that Naidu had never said the party would give another letter on 'T'. He said all Naidu assured was that his party would give clarity on the 'T' issue. 

Seemandhra leaders of the TDP are of the view that the party would not derive any extra mileage even if it gave a letter on 'T' to the center, as TRS would claim that it has forced the TDP to do so. It would only give advantage to the TRS and not TDP, they appear to feel. They also reportedly told Naidu that the letter on 'T' would be a self goal. Taking such a delayed decision on the 'T' issue, particularly after taking severe drubbing at the hustings,  would not make the party a champion of the 'T' cause, they feel. On the other hand, the party would suffer very severely in the Seemandhra region, they reportedly told Naidu. 

However, Telangana 'T' Forum convener Yerrabelli Dayakara Rao has dismissed the statement of Keshav as his personal view. He said party would surely give letter to the center and the letter would not make any mention about the Rayalaseema demand. 

With the leaders of the two regions expressing divergent views, there is once again confusion on the 'T' issue not only in the TDP but also among all other parties.