NORWAY UPDATE – AT 4:20 P.M. ET:  Reports remain sketchy, and some unconfirmed, but it appears the casualty list in Norway will grow dramatically.  There were two incidents – a huge bombing in Oslo, and a lone gunman opening fire at a politically connected youth camp on an island near Oslo.  There are these developments:

Eyewitnesses say they saw at least 20 bodies floating in the water off the island where the shooting attack occurred.  Since the island housed a youth camp, these would almost certainly be young people.

A report broadcast by CNN, but unconfirmed, says that the gunman who opened fire was also seen in the vicinity of the Oslo blast earlier in the day.

Most surprising, CNN is also reporting that the gunman has been captured, and is described as a tall, Nordic-looking man, not Middle Eastern or Asian.  This is unconfirmed, and may or may not be significant.  Norway has been concerned about home-grown terrorism, but the concern apparently centers on Norwegians linked to Islamist organizations.

Stand by.

July 22, 2011