Monday, 16 April 2012

Norway gunman does not recognize Oslo court

OSLO - Agence France-Presse

Defendant Norwegian mass killer Anders Behring Breivik (R) has his handcuffs removed after arriving in the courtroom in Oslo April 16, 2012. REUTERS Photo

Defendant Norwegian mass killer Anders Behring Breivik (R) has his handcuffs removed after arriving in the courtroom in Oslo April 16, 2012. REUTERS Photo

Right-wing extremist Anders Behring Breivik told the Oslo District Court today that he did not recognize its legitimacy as his trial opened for the killing of 77 people in twin attacks in Norway last year.

"I do not recognise the Norwegian court," he said.

Breivik, who killed 77 people in twin attacks in Norway in July, opened today amid tight security and massive media attention.

Lead judge Wenche Elizabeth Arntzen opened the proceedings, which are expected to focus on whether or not Breivik is sane.

Breivik made a far-right salute to court after handcuffs taken of at the Oslo courthouse as his trial kicked off, AFP reported.

A police convoy believed to be transporting Breivik, who killed 77 people in twin attacks in July, had arrived at Oslo's courthouse moments before his trial was to open today.

The convoy, including a grey van escorted by motorcycles and an unmarked police car, entered an underground parking lot at the courthouse, an AFP journalist at the scene reported.

The trial opens at 9:00 am (0700 GMT).

Heavy security was in place for the trial, the biggest in post-war Norway, which has sparked massive worldwide interest with hundreds of journalists accredited.

1 comment:

  1. OSLO (Reuters) - The Norwegian far-right gunman who massacred 77 people last summer gave a clenched-fist salute, smirked at the court and pleaded not guilty on the first day of a trial that threatens to turn into a "circus" showcasing his anti-Islamic views.
    Anders Behring Breivik, 33, has said he acted in defense of his country by setting off a car bomb that killed eight people at government headquarters in Oslo last July, then killing another 69 people in a shooting spree at a youth summer camp organized by the ruling Labour Party.
    The trial will turn on whether Breivik is found guilty or insane. While he risks being kept behind bars for the rest of his life, the high school dropout has said being labeled insane would be a "fate worse than death".
    Listening impassively for hours as prosecutors read out an indictment detailing how he massacred teenagers trapped on a island resort outside Oslo, he only shed tears when the court later showed one of his propaganda videos.
    Wearing a suit and loosely knotted tie, Breivik entered the Oslo court in handcuffs. He smirked several times as the cuffs were removed, put his right fist on his heart then extended his hand in salute.
    "I do not recognize the Norwegian courts. You have received your mandate from political parties which support multiculturalism," Breivik told the court after refusing to stand when judges entered.
    "I acknowledge the acts but not criminal guilt as I claim self defense," he added, seated in front of a bullet-proof glass wall.
    Occasionally suppressing a yawn, cracking his knuckles and sipping water, he stared down at the indictment papers, following without visible emotion the list of his killings as the prosecutor read out each one. Some details were so graphic that Norwegian television bleeped out descriptions of the massacres.

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