Police have evacuated all buildings within a radius of 500 metre around the U.S. embassy in Oslo after the discovery of a suspicious object.

 

"We are about to let the ministries and agencies within this radius to commence an evacuation,"  said Martin Todnem at Oslo police to the NTB news agency.

 

Police had by Tuesday lunchtime not been able to identify the nature of the suspicious object

 

"Embassy staff reported that they had spotted a suspicious object under a nearby car," Todnem said. "The bomb squad is on site, but we have not received any feedback from them yet."

 

Police have asked that all those living within a 500 metre radius to leave the area.

 

Police report that they have not received notice of any specific threats directed towards the embassy.

 

The US embassy in Oslo is located on Henrik Ibsens gate, a few hundred metres from the royal palace.

 

The Royal Family is not at the palace, said communications manager Marianne Hagen to NTB.

 

"We have evacuated the visitors at the palace because the Queen open park is blocked off," she said. "The employees at the palace have not however been evacuated, but are considered to be safe," she added.

 

The nearby Norwegian foreign ministry had at 12.15am however not been evacuated. 

 

"We have not yet been evacuated and are working normally," said press spokesperson Hanne Melfald to NTB.

 

"Beyond this I have no comment," she said.

 

Oslo police were notified of the suspicious object at 11.22am on Tuesday.