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Wednesday 18 April 2012

Norway Gunman Questioned On Extremist Links Court To Focus On Breivik's Extremist Views

Anders Behring Breivik is being questioned in court in Oslo about his contacts with other extremists ahead of the murderous rampage that left 77 people dead.
On the third day of the trial prosecutors began by asking him about the Knights Templar network, in which Breivik claims to have been a commander of a "one-man cell".
The prosecution claims that network does not exist.
Breivik was confrontational when questioned about his contacts with other extremists both in Norway and abroad, refusing to name individuals.
"I have told more to police than I wanted to about the networks," he said.
Breivik said he was too afraid to contact nationalists at home because of the small groups involved and the risk of intelligence officers discovering him. He did, however, make contact with one nationalist on the internet by chance.
The 33-year-old also claimed that he travelled to Liberia in 2001 to meet a Serb extremist.
"He was a military hero fighting Muslims, he said.
The proscution said the Serb, who was not named in the court, was a war criminal.
When asked about a subsequent trip to London he told the prosecutor he did not want to speak about it, saying she could read about it if she wanted to.
Breivik is also expected to be asked about the preparations for the attack on July 22, 2011, which saw him gather weapons and materials for a uniform and a bomb as well as author a 1,500-page manifesto.
Parts of the manifesto referring to his contacts with other nationalists, including planned training courses, were read out in courtroom 250.
Breivik described the document as a "draft" and said that some of the language in it might seem "ridiculous".
The second day of proceedings, on Tuesday, had seen Breivik outline his political philosophy, calling himself an "ultra-nationalist" who hoped his killing spree would eventually radicalise moderate right-wingers.
He argued provoking a culture war was the only way to prevent Norwegian culture from being "deconstructed" by a "Marxist and multicultural" elite, which Breivik believes is running Norway.
Breivik killed eight people and injured more than 200 in his first attack which targeted Oslo's government district with a 950kg car bomb.
He then killed 69 people and injured another 33 on the island of Utoya, where the youth wing of the country's Labour Party was holding its annual summer camp.
Although he admits carrying out the atrocities, Breivik has claimed he is not criminally guilty. 
Much of the trial focuses on proving whether he is sane, something Breivik insists he is.
If found sane, Breivik face a jail term of just 21 years, however this could then be extended indefinitely if he is still considered a threat to society. If found insane he could be sentenced to closed psychiatric care, possibly for life.

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