An armed man has been shot and arrested after he stole an ambulance and drove into people in Oslo, injuring twin babies.

Three people were hurt in total - including the babies who were in a pram - when the man struck a family, Norwegian police and hospital officials told Reuters.

A woman who was pushing the pram and the infants are being treated in hospital, as well as an elderly couple, officers said.

Police said they shot and wounded the man before arresting him at the scene, adding he was not critically injured.

"Two babies were injured after the hijacked ambulance hit a family. They are twins, seven months old, they are being treated," an Oslo University hospital spokesman said.


The hospital spokesman added that two of the hospital's ambulances were involved.

He said: "One was hijacked by an armed person with a shotgun. Some minutes later one of our other ambulances managed to stop the hijacked vehicle by crashing into it.

"Then the police came after the crash and got him."

Three employees in the ambulance when it was stolen were unharmed, the spokesman added.

Police also said they were looking for a woman who may have been involved in the incident.

Pictures from the scene show police cars surrounding the stolen ambulance after it appeared to have crashed into a house.

Image: Norwegian police arrested an armed man who drove into several people

It also showed images of an ambulance driving in the Torshov neighbourhood of Oslo as several gunshots were fired.

The Aftenposten newspaper also published a photo of a man wearing green trousers lying next to a vehicle surrounded by police officers.

Another photo showed a handcuffed man, flanked by police, walking towards an ambulance stretcher.

One witness, Omar Khatujev, told the newspaper that he saw "the ambulance driving at high speed towards me... and right behind a police car. I heard several shots."

Police did not state whether the incident was being treated as a deliberate attack, and did not say if anyone had died.

"An armed man stole an ambulance, drove away and hit some people. We got him now," the police spokesman said.

Oslo police also tweeted: "We are in control of the ambulance that was stolen. Shots were fired to stop him. He is not in critical condition."