Norway’s embassy in Jakarta next to terrorism site

The recent terrorist bombings in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta prompted the Norwegian government to relocate its embassy staff to a safer location. One of the two bombs, which killed at least 11 people, was detonated at the Marriott Hotel right next to the Norwegian embassy.

Right after the bombings, the Norwegian embassy was evacuated. Although the embassy building itself was not damaged by the explosion, officials decided it would be safer to relocate the embassy to another building in Jakarta, according to the Deputy Director of the Norwegian Department of Foreign Affairs, Ragnhild Imerslund.

The two bombs, which exploded in the high-end Marriott Hotel and nearby Ritz-Carlton Hotel, killed nine known victims and injured dozens more. One Norwegian citizen, who was a guest at one of the hotels, escaped the devastating blast with only minor injuries, the Norway Post reports.

Since the bombings are widely regarded as acts of terrorism, all Scandinavian embassies were evacuated and closed at the time. Some, such as the Norwegian embassy, have already announced they will reopen after Monday’s public holiday in Indonesia. Norway’s embassy will resume normal operations on 21 July.

For more information see The Norway Post.

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