As the world grapples with trying to understand the events that unfolded over the last few days in Norway, details emerge from various media outlets about the deadly attacks and the man behind them.
Reports made by the Norwegian police state, 32-year-old suspect Anders Breivik set off a car bomb in front of a 17-story government office building in Oslo, Norway, killing 8 people. Police officers and media attention quickly arrived at the scene, preoccupied by the horrific events. Breivik then took a public ferry out of Oslo to the Norwegian island of Utoya.
Dressed as a police officer, according to the New York Times, Breivik visited a politically-focused summer camp made up mostly of the children of members of the governing Labor Party. Announcing to the camp officials that he had come to check on the security of the children, Breivik gathered the children up- an estimated 700 kids attended the camp- pulled out a rifle and began to shoot them. Equipped with an automatic rifle and handgun, he fired for 90 horrific minutes, during which he even hunted down those who fled.
Although latest reports say that that the Norwegian police over-counted the number of deaths, still, a 68 were gruesomely killed and the youngest was 16 years of age. Police arrived at the scene 40 minutes after they were called, which, according to the BBC,
has prompted the Norwegian Prime Minister to announce the creations of a “22 July Commission” to investigate the attacks and police error.
Contrary to popular belief, Breivik, who willfully turned himself in, is not a Muslim extremist; in fact he’s quite the opposite. A right-wing fundamentalist, Breivik is a strong Christian who is, according to many, obsessed with the ‘threats of Islam’, most specifically the multiculturalism that is a result of heavy Muslim immigration to Norway.
Anders Behring Breivik has been charged with having completed the worst attacks on Norway since World War II. While the trial is being investigated Breivik is to be held in isolation for four of the eight weeks he’ll be imprisoned.
However, according to the Washington Post, Breivik could possibly only face 21 years in prison, even though he confessed to the killings. In Norway, 21 years is the harshest sentence a judge can hand. But the law does allow special sentences, which are “given to those prisoners deemed a danger to society,” which allows additional years added to the sentence.
Light is also emerging on Breivik’s web “manifesto”, or online diary, which he posted online hours before his attack. In it he talks about specific details of his plan to “seize political and military control of Western European countries and implement a cultural conservative political agenda.” He rants on how Marxism and Islam are major enemies of the West, that need to be stopped immediately. The “diary” clearly shows that Breiviks been planning the attack for years, believing that they would help market his manifesto.
Most chilling, is one of Breivik’s last entries, which hints at the havoc he would bring a few hours later: “The time for dialogue is over. We gave peace a chance. The time for armed resistance has come.”
