Norway suspect in isolation
Source: Agencies |
July 26, 2011, Tuesday
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The man who has confessed to carrying out a bombing and shooting spree that left 76 people dead in Norway will be held for at least eight weeks, half of that time in isolation, after a closed hearing in which he said his terror network had two other cells.
At a courthouse flying the national flag at half mast, Anders Behring Breivik pleaded not guilty to one of the deadliest modern mass killings in peacetime, saying he wanted to save Norway and Europe from a Muslim takeover and send a strong signal, but claiming he was not trying to kill as many people as possible, Judge Kim Heger said after the 35-minute hearing.
The judge said Breivik could tamper with evidence if released, and will be held for at least another two months without access to visitors, mail or media.
Breivik made clear in an Internet manifesto that he planned to turn his court appearance into theater, preparing a speech even before launching the attacks, and then requesting an open hearing in which he would wear a uniform. Both of requests were denied.
According to the judge, the suspect staged the bombing and youth camp rampage as "marketing" for his manifesto calling for a revolution that would rid Europe of Muslims. The judge said: "It is clear there is concrete information that a public hearing with the suspect present could quickly lead to an extraordinary and very difficult situation in terms of the investigation and security."
The court acknowledged that there is a need for transparency in the case and that it normally would consider arguments from the press when making decisions to close hearings, but said this was not possible "for practical reasons."
Survivors of the camp shooting on Utoya island described how a gunman dressed in a police uniform urged people to come closer and then opened fire. Police now say 68 people were killed there. About 90 minutes earlier, a car bomb exploded in the government district in central Oslo, killing eight people.
Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg led the mourning nation in a minute of silence yesterday, standing on the steps of an Oslo university with the king and queen. Neighboring countries Denmark and Sweden also joined in the remembrance.
The search for more victims continues and police have not yet released the names of the dead. But Norway's royal court said yesterday that those killed at the island retreat included Crown Princess Mette-Marit's stepbrother, an off-duty police officer, who was working there as a security guard.
In an interview with Swedish tabloid Expressen, the suspect's father said he was ashamed and disgusted by his son's acts. "I don't feel like his father," said former diplomat Jens David Breivik from his home in southern France. "How could he just stand there and kill so many innocent people and just seem to think that what he did was OK? He should have taken his own life too."
At a courthouse flying the national flag at half mast, Anders Behring Breivik pleaded not guilty to one of the deadliest modern mass killings in peacetime, saying he wanted to save Norway and Europe from a Muslim takeover and send a strong signal, but claiming he was not trying to kill as many people as possible, Judge Kim Heger said after the 35-minute hearing.
The judge said Breivik could tamper with evidence if released, and will be held for at least another two months without access to visitors, mail or media.
Breivik made clear in an Internet manifesto that he planned to turn his court appearance into theater, preparing a speech even before launching the attacks, and then requesting an open hearing in which he would wear a uniform. Both of requests were denied.
According to the judge, the suspect staged the bombing and youth camp rampage as "marketing" for his manifesto calling for a revolution that would rid Europe of Muslims. The judge said: "It is clear there is concrete information that a public hearing with the suspect present could quickly lead to an extraordinary and very difficult situation in terms of the investigation and security."
The court acknowledged that there is a need for transparency in the case and that it normally would consider arguments from the press when making decisions to close hearings, but said this was not possible "for practical reasons."
Survivors of the camp shooting on Utoya island described how a gunman dressed in a police uniform urged people to come closer and then opened fire. Police now say 68 people were killed there. About 90 minutes earlier, a car bomb exploded in the government district in central Oslo, killing eight people.
Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg led the mourning nation in a minute of silence yesterday, standing on the steps of an Oslo university with the king and queen. Neighboring countries Denmark and Sweden also joined in the remembrance.
The search for more victims continues and police have not yet released the names of the dead. But Norway's royal court said yesterday that those killed at the island retreat included Crown Princess Mette-Marit's stepbrother, an off-duty police officer, who was working there as a security guard.
In an interview with Swedish tabloid Expressen, the suspect's father said he was ashamed and disgusted by his son's acts. "I don't feel like his father," said former diplomat Jens David Breivik from his home in southern France. "How could he just stand there and kill so many innocent people and just seem to think that what he did was OK? He should have taken his own life too."
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