Both robbers were armed as well when police interrupted their efforts to make off with another major cash haul. Law enforcement officials claim the men are part of Norway's increasingly violent robbery gangs.

Police ended up shooting one of the men in both legs, and doctors at Ullevål University Hospital listed his condition as serious on Monday. His accomplice was only slightly wounded and was taken to Akershus University Hospital.

The local sheriff in Ullensaker township, where Jessheim is located, called the drama a "coordinated action" that was part of a major police investigation into a string of serious armed robberies in Norway during the past few years.

Police declined to comment specifically on whether their action was directly tied to the aftermath of the NOKAS robbery in Stavanger in April, the biggest ever in Norway. A police officer was killed during that heist.

The police department's equivalent of an internal affairs division (called SEFO) immediately launched a routine investigation into the action, since it involved a police shooting. Police must always have special permission to carry weapons in Norway.