More than 90 dead as twin attacks rock Norway
- Thread starter QueEx
- Start date
The Christian Extremist Suspect
in Norway's Massacre
<SPAN style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffff00">Anders Behring Breivik, from his Facebook page, has
been identified as a "Christian fundamentalist with
right-wing connections</span>
The Atlantic
July 23, 2011
The death toll in Norway rose to at least 91 in Norway, the New York Times reports, following the bombing of a government center in Oslo on Friday and a shooting attack on a nearby youth camp island. The reports so far have been horrifying. According to Guardian, a 15-year-old camper gave her account of hiding behind the same rock that the killer was standing on, dressed in a police uniform, as he shot at people. Norwegian prime minister Jens Stoltenberg said he knew many of the victims of the shooting on Utøya personally.
The Norwegian police charged a 32-year-old man on Saturday, who was identified by the Norwegian media as Anders Behring Breivik. The photo above is a screen grab from his Facebook page, which has since been blocked. Breivik has been identified as a "Christian fundamentalist with right-wing connections," according to the Times, as well as with anti-Muslim views, according to multiple sources.
This is what we do and don't know about Breivik so far:
Religious views: According to the BBC, Breivik has a Facebook and Twitter account that he set up a mere few days ago on July 17, where he identifies himself as a Christian and a conservative. There are several reports of his anti-Muslim views. In a post in Norwegian in an online forum on December 2009, a user named Anders Behring Breivik claims there is not one country where Muslims have peacefully lived with non-Muslims, stating that instead it has had "catastrophic consequences" for non-Muslims.
Political views: The Daily Mail reports that National police chief Sveinung Sponheim told public broadcaster NRK that the suspected gunman's internet postings "suggest that he has some political traits directed toward the right, and anti-Muslim views, but if that was a motivation for the actual act remains to be seen." Furthermore, the Norwegian daily Verdens Gang quoted a friend as saying Breivik became a rightwing extremist in his late 20s.
Frank Mersland, a journalist with FVN TV, says Breivik has been linked to the anti-immigration Progress party. He wrote to Guardian via email:
The suspect, Anders Behring Breivik, has been tagged as a former member of the right winged political party Frp (Progress party). It's the second largest political party in Norway and their main issues are lower taxes and a much stricter policy on immigration. The Frp-leader, Siv Jensen, verified his membership on Norwegian TV2 a little while ago.
Apart from his anti-immigration policies, the Daily Mail and Fox News report that Breivik also argued that socialism was breaking down traditions, culture, national identity and other societal structures and that this in turn made society weak and confused.
Interests: Fox reports that according to his recently set-up Facebook page, Brevik claimed to be well read and a fan of Norwegian World War II hero Max Manus. He listed his favorite books as "The Trial" by Franz Kafka and "Nineteen Eighty-Four" by George Orwell, and his favorite television show as the serial killer show "Dexter." Among his other interests he listed founding and developing organizations, freemasonry, working, gaming, partying, and fitness.
Guardian also notes that he was a fan of violent video games who, as some former neighbors told the Norwegian media, had sometimes been seen in "military-style" clothing. The sole tweet on his Twitter account[/b\ was one by philosopher John Stuart Mill, that said, "One person with a belief is equal to the force of 100,000 who have only interests."
Education and employment: The BBC reports that Breivik is believed to have grown up in Oslo, and studied at the Oslo School of Management, which offers degrees and post-graduate courses. He later appears to have moved out of the city and established Breivik Geofarm, a company Norwegian media is describing as a farming sole proprietorship set up to cultivate vegetables, melons, roots, and tubers. However, Guardian posts that Breivik's earlier businesses were not much of a success, each one of them being dissolved after a short while after making a loss until he established his farm business in 2009 and moved out of Oslo.
Personal life: Breivik described his relationship status as single, according to Fox. The Daily Mail writes that media reports in Norway described Breivik as a "loner," who lived with his mother in a wealthy suburb of west Oslo.
Access to weapons and training: According to Guardian, Breivik was a hunter with two registered weapons, a Glock pistol and an automatic rifle, although CNN reports he also had a shotgun. The BBC adds that <SPAN style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffff00">a supply company has come forward to say that it delivered six tons of fertilizer to Breivik's company in May -- an ingredient used in bomb-making</span> ((Remember Timothy McVeigh ???)). As for training, Breivik had no military background except for ordinary national service. According to CNN, he was exempt from Norway's mandatory military service and has not had any special military training. Additionally, he has no criminal record other than traffic violations, apparently.
Motive and method: What we don't know about Breivik is motive. Guardian reports that one target of Breivik's anger was former Norwegian prime minister, Gro Harlem Brundtland -- a member of Norway's Labour Party -- who had spoken to the youth camp on Utøya the day before the massacre. However, it is unknown whether or not that led him to the youth camp. Reports are that Breivik is cooperating with police and wants to explain himself.
It is also unknown whether he had accomplices. Norwegian daily VG has interviewed witnesses of the Utøya shooting who believe there was a second gunman. According to Norwegian media sources, a second man was arrested who had a knife on him. Guardian translates that when asked by reporters why he was armed, the man said, "because there are so many weird people here. I do not trust anyone. " He had dark hair and smiled as he was led into the police car, according to TV2.
http://www.theatlanticwire.com/glob...harged-death-toll-norway-soars-past-90/40321/
The Norwegian man accused of killing at least 93 people
in a shooting and car bomb will appear in court today -
and is expected to give his reasons for the twin attacks.
Anders Behring Breivik, 32, has admitted to police that he carried out the
shooting on the island of Utoya and the car bomb in central Oslo, but denies
any criminal responsibility.
Calling himself a crusader against a tide of Islam, Breivik produced a 1,500
"terrorist manifesto" and appears to want a public platform to explain his
actions.
His lawyer Geir Lippestad said: "He has been politically active and found out
himself that he did not succeed with usual political tools and so resorted to
violence."
"I await a medical assessment of him," he said.
"He explains himself fairly calmly, but every now and then expresses emotion,"
Mr Lippestad said.
"He buries his head in his hands."
"He has said that he believed the actions were atrocious, but that in his head
they were necessary," he said, adding his client did not feel he deserved
punishment.
One report in Norway has suggested police could apply for the court hearing
to be held behind closed doors.
However, Liv Corneliussen, a police prosecutor, said: "It's up to the judge to
decide.
"It's not uncommon that the police will ask for it in advance but I don't know
if the police will ask for that."
The victims' bodies lay on the shoreline of Utoya island
Sky's Alistair Bunkall, in Oslo, said: "Immigration has happened quickly in
Norway and it's changed the demographic.
"The far right argue that they have no mainstream political representation.
"We spoke to one activist who met Breivik and describes him as a
megalomaniac.
"'His sinister motives he kept to himself,' he told me.
"I also asked him if Breivik had any allies in Norway.
"'No, I've never heard anyone voice an opinion to that effect,' was the
answer."
The death toll from both attacks hit 93 as one of the people injured in the
shooting on Utoya island died in hospital.
The gunman walks past his victims on shoreline. Pic:
Marius Arnesen/NRK.
The chief surgeon at a hospital treating victims of the camp attack has said
the killer used special "dum-dum" bullets, which are designed to disintegrate
inside the body and cause maximum damage.
Police said they had no other suspects following Friday's tragedy, which
started when Breivik allegedly set off a car bomb at government
headquarters in Oslo, killing at least seven people and injuring 30 more.
Then, 90 minutes later, he opened fire on hundreds of teenagers assembled
for the Labour Party's annual youth camp on the island of Utoya. That
attack has left at least 86 people dead and more than 60 wounded.
Police say four or five people are still missing after the youth camp massacre
and they fear the final death toll could reach 98.
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/No...ill_Give_Reasons_Behind_Shooting_And_Car_Bomb
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