Childhood paradise is now hell

Norway's Prime Minister says the island where at least 84 people were killed in a massacre was "my childhood paradise that was transformed into hell".

Jens Stoltenberg said he had spent many summers on Utoya, where dozens of teenagers were killed shortly after a bomb was detonated in Oslo.

Police have one suspect in custody, who they said was co-operating with inquiries.

A police official said: "He is clear on the point that he wants to explain himself."

Stoltenberg said it was too early to comment on the motives behind the attacks.

The Prime Minister, who was home when the Oslo blast occurred, visited wounded people at the hospital after the "cowardly attack on young, innocent civilians".

"I have a message for those who attacked us," he said. "It's a message from all of Norway: You will not destroy our democracy and our commitment to a better world."

Leaders in the United States, the European Union, Nato and Britain quickly condemned the bombing, which Britain's Foreign Secretary William Hague called "horrific" and Nato Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen deemed a "heinous act".

"It's a reminder that the entire international community has a stake in preventing this kind of terror from occurring," US President Barack Obama said.

Obama extended his condolences to Norway's people and offered US assistance with the investigation.

Nobel Peace Prize Chairman Thorbjorn Jagland said it appeared the camp attack "was intended to hurt young citizens who actively engage in our democratic and political society. But we must not be intimidated. We need to work for freedom and democracy every day."

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key said from the US that the attacks were a reminder that no country was immune from violence. Acting Prime Minister Bill English said he was "shocked and saddened at the news. New Zealand joins other countries in condemning these attacks on innocent people."

He said 61 New Zealanders were registered as being in Norway and the embassy in The Hague was contacting them.

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard said survivors of the attacks had lived through a "nightmare" and Australia stood ready to assist Norway in any way possible. "Australia condemns the brutal and shocking attacks which occurred in Norway," she said.

Meanwhile, a police official said the suspect appeared to have acted alone in both attacks, and that "it seems this is not linked to any international terrorist organisations."

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because that information had not been officially released by Norway's police.

"It seems it's not Islamic-terror related," the official said. "This seems like a madman's work."

The official said the attack "is probably more Norway's Oklahoma City than it is Norway's World Trade Center". Domestic terrorists carried out the 1995 attack on a federal building in Oklahoma City and foreign terrorists were responsible for the September 11, 2001, attacks.

The official added, however, it was "still just hours since the incident happened. And the investigation is going on with all available resources."

The motive was unknown, but both attacks were in areas connected to the left-leaning Labour Party, which leads a coalition government.

The youth camp, about 35km from Oslo, is organised by the party's youth wing, and the Prime Minister had been scheduled to speak there yesterday.

The mass shootings are among the worst in history. With the blast outside the Prime Minister's office, they formed the deadliest day of terror in Western Europe since the 2004 Madrid train bombings killed 191.

-AP