Monday, July 25, 2011

Norway massacre: Anders Behring Breivik due in court


The man blamed for Friday's twin terror attacks in Norway is due to make his first appearance in court.
Anders Behring Breivik
Anders Behring Breivik, 32, admits carrying out a massacre on an island youth camp and a bombing in the capital Oslo in which at least 93 people died.
He is said to be linked to far right, anti-Islamic organisations, and to have spent years planning the operation.
At least 96 people were injured in the attacks - the country's worst since World War II.
Norway will observe a minute's silence at 1200 local time (1000 GMT).
Mr Breivik is set to appear at the hearing an hour later. He has said he will explain his actions to the court. Earlier he described the attacks as "gruesome but necessary".
But it is not clear if the court session will be open or closed to the public. A judge is set to rule on a police request for the hearing be held behind closed doors.

At the scene

The key thing we are waiting for is a decision by the judge at the court in Oslo as to whether the proceedings later are going to be open to the public, because Mr Breivik has requested it is open to give him essentially a massive platform to talk about his ideology and his motives.
The police have submitted a request as well to the judge, saying they want there to be a media blackout, because of the concern that Mr Breivik will have this big public platform to talk about his ideology.
We know a lot more about that from this 1,500-page document which he posted online just before the attacks on Friday in which he makes himself out to be what he describes as a crusader against Muslim immigration into western Europe.
And we also know that his attacks were designed to try and bring about a revolution in Norway, attacking the ruling Labour party, the government buildings and the ruling party's youth wing on the island because, as he sees them, they are too liberal, far too soft on immigration policy and he wanted to try to bring down the government.
There have been calls for a media blackout of the trial so as not to give Mr Breivik a platform for his views.
Under Norwegian law, he faces a maximum of 21 years in jail if convicted, although that sentence can be extended if a prisoner is deemed a threat to the public.
Police said while the suspect has admitted to the killings, he has not accepted criminal responsibility for them.
His lawyer, Geir Lippestad, told Norwegian media on Sunday: "He thought it was gruesome having to commit these acts, but in his head, they were necessary.
"He wished to attack society and the structure of society."
Still pictures of the suspect, wearing a wetsuit and carrying an automatic weapon, appeared in a 12-minute anti-Muslim video called Knights Templar 2083, which appeared briefly on YouTube.
A 1,500-page document written in English and said to be by Mr Breivik - posted under the pseudonym of Andrew Berwick - was also put online hours before the attacks.
The bomb in Oslo targeted buildings connected to Norway's governing Labour Party, and the youth camp on Utoeya island was also run by the party.
Vivian Paulsen from the Norwegian Red Cross says the search for bodies will continue "as long as we need to"
'Dum-dum bullets'
It was reported on Monday that Crown Princess Mette-Marit's stepbrother, Trond Berntsen, an off-duty police officer, was among those killed at the youth camp. He was the son of Mette-Marit's stepfather, who died in 2008.
Bodies of those killed on the island were moved to a morgue in Oslo on Sunday.
More details have emerged about the killings and the police operation which led to Mr Breivik's apprehension.
Police said officers trying to get to the island had been delayed because they had difficulty finding a suitable boat to take them there, and there were no police helicopters close enough.

Island shooting suspect

Anders Behring Breivik
  • Describes himself as a Christian and conservative on Facebook page attributed to him
  • Grew up in Oslo and attended Oslo School of Management
  • Set up farm through which he was able to buy fertiliser, which may have been used to make a bomb
The gunman was arrested an estimated 90 minutes after the massacre began. Police say he still had a lot of ammunition, and hospital sources said he had used dum-dum bullets, designed to disintegrate inside the body and cause maximum internal damage.
One of the first victims on the island was an off-duty police officer who had been hired by the camp organisers to provide security, Reuters news agency reported authorities as saying.
At least seven people were killed in the bomb attack on the government quarter in Oslo. Soon afterwards, 85 people were shot dead as the gunman, dressed as a policeman, ran amok on the nearby island of Utoeya. An 86th victim from the island shooting died in hospital on Sunday.
At least four people from the island camp shooting are yet to be found; it is thought some may have drowned after swimming out into the lake to escape the hail of bullets.
In Oslo, police said the death toll could rise further as bodies or body parts were in buildings damaged by the bomb but still too unstable to search.
Police say they are not searching for a second attacker but have not ruled out more people being involved, after eyewitness reports suggested a possible second shooter.
Map of central Oslo and Utoeya

No comments:

Post a Comment