Anders Behring Breivik says his killings in Norway last July were “a small barbarian act to prevent a larger barbarian act” on what may be his final day of evidence.
Anders Breivik, 33, has already admitted the Oslo bombing and island shootings that left 77 people dead. The main aim of the trial is to decide whether he is sane.
He said he “lost absolutely everything” on 22 July, all his family and friends.
Therefore he understood the loss he imposed on others, he said.
On 22 July 2011, Anders Breivik set off a car bomb near government buildings in Oslo, killing eight, and then massacred 69 participants in a Labour Party youth camp on the nearby island of Utoeya.
Anders Breivik said he wanted to apologize for killing or injuring the “innocent” people in the Oslo bombing who were just passing by and had no political connections.
But he offered no apology for the Utoeya massacre.
Anders Behring Breivik says his killings in Norway last July were "a small barbarian act to prevent a larger barbarian act
In his other evidence on Monday, Anders Breivik said he:
• believed political leaders would be “emotionally unstable” and would instruct police to execute him after his arrest at Utoeya
• told police he believed his family might be executed after his actions
• considered at one stage stealing a small plane from a nearby airfield to flee after his actions
• planned to make a video recording of himself decapitating former PM Gro Harlem Brundtland while reading a prepared text spelling out her “crimes”
• repeatedly replied “no comment” to any questions about other members of an anti-Muslim network called the Knights Templar, which Anders Breivik says he belongs to but which prosecutors believe does not exist
Anders Breivik admits killing all 77 victims, but denies criminal responsibility, saying he was defending Norway from multiculturalism.
He said he had envisaged the most important attack as being the Oslo bombing, but Utoeya “became the most important attack when the government building did not collapse” as planned.
Depending on whether he is found sane or not, he faces either prison or committal to a psychiatric institution.
Anders Breivik himself maintains he is sane, but a practitioner of political extremism.
In earlier statements to the court, he insisted he was “under normal circumstances a very nice person, very caring about those around me”.
He said he “absolutely” understood why his testimony was horrifying to others.
But said he had embarked on a deliberate programme of “dehumanization” in 2006 to prepare to carry out killings.
Anders Breivik has been allocated five days in total to give evidence, with the entire proceedings expected to last 10 weeks.
Anders Behring Breivik, the man who carried out bomb and gun attacks in Norway last year which left 77 people dead, has pleaded not guilty at the start of his trial in Oslo.
Anders Breivik, 33 attacked a youth camp organized by the governing Labour party on the island of Utoeya, after setting off a car bomb in the capital.
He told the court he “acknowledged” the acts committed, but said he did not accept criminal responsibility.
The prosecution earlier gave a detailed account of how each person was killed.
If the court decides he is criminally insane, he will be committed to psychiatric care; if he is judged to be mentally stable, he will be jailed.
In the latter case, Anders Breivik faces a sentence of 21 years, which could be extended to keep him behind bars for the rest of his life.
He was found insane in one examination, while a second assessment made public last week found him mentally competent.
Dressed in a dark suit, Anders Breivik smiled as he entered the courtroom and a guard removed his handcuffs. He then gave a closed-fist salute.
He later told the lead judge, Wenche Elisabeth Arntzen: “I do not recognize the Norwegian courts. You have received your mandate from political parties which support multiculturalism.”
He also said he did not recognize the authority of Judge Arntzen, claiming she was friends with the sister of former Prime Minister and Labour party leader Gro Harlem Brundtland.
Anders Behring Breivik has pleaded not guilty at the start of his trial in Oslo
The judge noted the objections, which Anders Breivik’s lawyer said were not official, and said the defense could follow up on them in their opening arguments.
Anders Breivik described his occupation as a “writer”, currently working from prison.
Prosecutor Inga Bejer Engh read out the charges against him and gave an extensively detailed account of how each person was killed or injured in last year’s attacks.
The prosecutor said the attacks “created fear in the Norwegian population”, adding: “The defendant has committed very serious crimes, on a scale which hasn’t been experienced in our country in modern times.”
Anders Breivik showed no emotion, looking down at the table in front of him.
At the end of the indictment, he told the court: “I acknowledge the acts, but not criminal guilt – I claim I was doing it in self-defense.”
Anders Breivik has already confessed to the attacks on 22 July. In the car bombing outside government buildings in Oslo, eight people were killed and 209 wounded.
He killed 67 people and wounded 33 – most of them teenagers – in his shooting spree at the youth camp on Utoeya. A further two people died by falling or drowning.
At a court hearing in February, Anders Breivik said his killing spree was “a preventative attack against state traitors”, who were guilty of “ethnic cleansing” because they supported a multicultural society.
His lawyer has said his only regret is that “he did not go further”.
“It is difficult to understand, but I am telling you this to prepare people for his testimony,” Geir Lippestad told reporters before the trial.
Investigators have found no evidence to support Anders Breivik’s claims that he belonged to a secret “resistance” movement, the “Knights Templar”, named after a military and religious order founded during the Crusades to fight the enemies of Christendom.
“In our opinion such a network does not exist,” prosecutor Svein Holden told the court on Monday.
A 12-minute-long film about the evils of “multiculturalism” and “Islamic demographic warfare”, which Breivik posted online on the day of the attacks, was shown in court before the trial was adjourned for lunch. As it concluded, he could be seen wiping tears from his eyes.
Later, previously unreleased surveillance footage of the Oslo bombing was shown.
Some of the survivors and relatives of those killed reportedly gasped after footage was played of Anders Breivik’s explosives-packed vehicle exploding, followed by scenes of panic as people fled and pieces of metal fell to the ground. But the defendant was impassive, and at times even smirked.
The court later adjourned for the day.
At a news conference following the adjournment, Geir Lippestad said Anders Breivik considered he was at war and therefore felt he should be tried by “a war tribunal”.
Asked about Anders Breivik’s tears during the first day, he said “part of the explanation” might be that his client considered his actions “necessary to prevent a war in Europe”.
Parts of the trial will be shown on television, but the court will not allow Anders Breivik’s testimony or that of his witnesses to be broadcast. Anders Breivik is scheduled to take the stand for about a week, starting on Tuesday.
With Anders Breivik not expected to express any remorse for his actions, his trial promises to be an ordeal for the families of those killed and for those who survived.
Jorid Nordmelan, a survivor of the Utoeya massacre, said she would be in court to hear Anders Breivik testify.
“It’s a historical date for Norwegians,” she said.
“We never had a trial like this, so we don’t know what’s going to happen.
“Prosecutors told me they were going to make the opening statements awful, so that people can just feel what he did right there.”
Police have sealed off streets around the courtroom, which was specially built for the trial to accommodate more than 200 people. Glass partitions have been put up to separate the victims and their families from Anders Breivik.
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Anders Behring Breivik, the man who carried out a bomb and gun attack in Norway last year that left 77 people dead, has gone on trial in Oslo.
Anders Breivik attacked a summer youth camp organized by the governing Labour party on the island of Utoeya, after setting off a car bomb in the capital.
He gave a closed-fist salute, and said he did not recognize the court because it was dependent on political parties who supported multiculturalism.
Anders Breivik has confessed to the killings, but denies criminal responsibility.
If the court decides he is criminally insane, he will be committed to psychiatric care; if he is judged to be mentally stable, he will be jailed.
In the latter case, he faces a sentence of 21 years, which could be extended to keep him behind bars for the rest of his life.
Anders Breivik gave a closed-fist salute, and said he did not recognize the court because it was dependent on political parties who supported multiculturalism
Dressed in a dark suit, Anders Breivik smiled as he entered the courtroom and a guard removed his handcuffs. He then gave a closed-fist salute.
Anders Breivik later told the lead judge: “I do not recognize the Norwegian courts. You have received your mandate from political parties which support multiculturalism. I do not acknowledge the authority of the court.”
The judge noted the objection, which Anders Breivik’s lawyer said was not an official one, and said the lawyer could follow up on the matter in his opening arguments.
The prosecutor then read the names of all the victims of the attacks last July, describing in detail how each person was killed or injured.
Anders Breivik showed no emotion, looking down at a folder on the table in front of him.
During the 10-week trial, prosecutors will paint a detailed picture of how one man planned and then carried out mass murder.
Anders Breivik has already confessed to the attacks – first the car bombing outside government buildings in Oslo which killed eight people, and then the shooting spree at a political youth camp on Utoeya.
He is expected to plead not guilty, arguing that the Labour party was a “legitimate target” because it supports immigration and multiculturalism – policies he says will bring about a Muslim takeover of Europe.
With Anders Breivik not expected to express any remorse for his actions, his trial promises to be an ordeal for the families of those killed and for those who survived the attacks.
Jorid Nordmelan, a survivor of the Utoeya massacre, said she would be in court to hear Anders Breivik testify.
“It’s a historical date for Norwegians,” she said.
“We never had a trial like this, so we don’t know what’s going to happen.
“Prosecutors told me they were going to make the opening statements awful, so that people can just feel what he did right there.”
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