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Odd Andersen / AFP - Getty Images
Self-confessed mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik speaks with a lawyer at a court in Oslo on Friday.
Updated at 11:35 a.m. ET: OSLO -- A Norwegian court ruled Friday that confessed mass killer Anders Behring Breivik was sane, deciding he was criminally responsible for the massacre of 77 people last summer.
Reading the ruling, Judge Wenche Elisabeth Arntzen said that "in a unanimous decision ... the court sentences the defendant to 21 years of preventive detention."
However, such sentences can be extended under Norwegian law as long as an inmate is considered dangerous. Experts have said Breivik is likely to spend the rest of his life behind bars. Norway doesn't have the death penalty.
Prosecutors had demanded a verdict of insanity, a fate Breivik called "worse than death," while many of his victims had said only a sane person could have carried out such a complex attack.
Breivik, 33, detonated a fertilizer bomb outside a government building that included the prime ministerial offices last July, killing eight, then gunned down 69 people, mostly teenagers, at the ruling Labor Party's youth camp on Utoya island.
After the ruling, Breivik told the court he would not appeal the decision.
"He is getting what he deserves," Alexandra Peltre, 18, whom Breivik shot in the thigh on Utoya, told Reuters. "This is karma striking back at him. I do not care if he is insane or not, as long as he gets the punishment that he deserves."
Another survivor of the massacre, Eivind Rindal, told the Norwegian newspaper VG that “it is important that the defendant gets his punishment but the most important thing is that he never gets out.”
“There are many who shared his extreme views in our society,” Rindal added, according to an English translation in the Telegraph newspaper.
Trine Aamodt, whose 19-year-old son was shot at Utoya, told VG she was “happy with the verdict of sanity and am also very glad that there was consensus from all the judges.”
Guilt never a question
Guilt had never been a question in the trial as Breivik described in chilling detail how he hunted down his victims, some as young as 14, with a shot to the body and then one or more bullets to the head.
The killings shook this nation of five million people which had prided itself as a haven from much of the world's troubles, raising questions about the prevalence of far-right views as immigration rises.
Tens of thousands of people gathered in Oslo to sing a children's song calling for peace, as a protest against mass killer Anders Behring Breivik. Msnbc.com's Dara Brown reports.
Few believe anyone would ever sign Breivik's release papers. One of the reasons Breivik's attacks were presented in such gruesome detail during the trial was so that the horror of Oslo and Utoya would be well-documented for the day Breivik asks to be released.
Czech police accuse man of plotting Norway-like copycat terrorist attack
The court’s ruling actually imposed a minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum of 21.
But Jo Stigen, a law professor at the University of Oslo, told NBCNews.com that Breivik was unlikely to be released for decades.
“This means as long as he is dangerous he will not be free. It’s a potential life sentence … I can hardly see it will be considered he’s not dangerous in 30 or 40 years,” he said, speaking by phone from outside the court.
Odd Andersen / AFP - Getty Images
Labor Party secretary Raymond Johansen, center, hugs a relative of an Utoya massacre victim before Breivik's arrival in court on Friday.
After serving the 10-year minimum sentence, Breivik will be evaluated periodically. Stigen said it was “theoretically possible” he could be released in 10 years, but added this was highly unlikely.
After 21 years, the prosecution can seek to have Breivik kept in prison -- Stigen said that “most certainly they will” – and a court will then decide whether to keep the mass killer in prison.
Norway prison seeks 'friends' to play hockey, chess with mass killer Breivik
'Tough year'
The trial and a commission of investigation into the country's worst violence since World War Two have kept Breivik on the front pages for the past 13 months and survivors said the verdict would finally bring some closure.
"It has been a tough year... but I don't want to be Utoya-Nicoline for the rest of my life," said Nicoline Bjerge Schie, a survivor of the shooting, ahead of the verdict.
Friends and family of his victims looked on Friday as Anders Breivik calmly describes chasing down and killing dozens of teenagers during a shooting spree last year on Utoya Island in Norway. Msnbc.com's Al Stirrett reports.
As a result of the ruling that he is sane, Breivik will be locked up in solitary confinement inside the maximum security Ila prison on the outskirts of Oslo. He will return to his relatively spacious cells, enjoying the comforts of a computer, newspapers and a separate exercise room.
Anders Breivik to Norway court: I killed 77 people but am not guilty
One team of court appointed psychiatrists concluded Breivik was psychotic while another came to the opposite conclusion. To make the ruling more difficult, several other experts who testified described a series of mental conditions Breivik suffered from.
Polls showed that around 70 percent of Norwegians thought such a well-planned attack could not have been the work of a madman and Breivik must take responsibility rather than be dismissed as merely deranged.
The nation looks to rally after a bombing and shooting spree leaves 77 people dead.
Breivik himself argued for a verdict of sanity as he wanted the attack to be seen as a political statement rather than an act of lunacy.
He rejected criminal charges out of principle, saying he doesn't recognize the court's authority because it represents a political system that supports multiculturalism -- the reason why he targeted the Labor Party.
NBC News' Ian Johnston, Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Leave a Comment:
So what is the use of deeming someone "far right" or left or anything of that sort when it comes to being a murderer? NBC's sad politics keep on rollin' along.
Just for perspetive, why not note that Hitler, a socialist....National Socialist Party, killled millions. Mao, far far left killed millions. Stalin killed millions. Why don't the libs hail them as heroes?
A murderer is just that.....no politics here to see from NBC-----just move on.
Outstanding....at least he will be punished; albeit maybe a bit lenient in my book in the terms of length of punishment. He should get the death penalty but they probably don't have that in Norway.
In 21 years he is finished!! An old man will come with nothing to enjoy-a great punishment!
Which mother gave birth to such an evil!! is she in peace if is sane?
Maybe he was legitimate-rape baby.
Well, all the neocons/teabaggers/evan-taliban in this country should be very happy with the verdict. He'll be out in 20 years and can immigrant to this country and get a spot on faux news. He's fit right in there with the rest of the hate mongers!
Guess that would explain the "fist" picture. A symbol of far right leaning.....drum roll....COMMUNISTS.
Wondered when some troll would spout off the drivel of the drones.
Personally I think sleeping with Che would be much more appropriate.
I Agree he should be punished but to ignore the reason this happened and to do nothing to make sure there is no reason this happens again is foolish, it is not ok that you punish one man that can be replaced by anyone because you do nothing about the main problem in the first place, the government is gonna let this happen again because they did nothing to stop the problem. There are 7.035 billion people in this world and if the Problem's can not be dealt with as expediently as the way we punish others this will only get worse and i do not think it is right.
i see a Storm ahead
Brad,
You have missed you true calling of being a weatherman. When I think about the way he came to a peaceful summer camp where, like millions of Americans send their children each year, and proceeds to systematically hunt down and kill 77 Innocent children and young adults, I am beside myself with anger and shame for the human race. When I read about him getting only 21 years and a state sanctioned solicitor for "volunteers" and friend for him to play hockey and chess with, I am stupefied. Thanks to the information age, we can tune in and watch executions on the Internet performed by the very folks who preach the "Mercy of Allah".
Lazarus
Just 21 years? What is wrong with their system? That is not even a year for each life he took!
Remind me that when I want to masscre people, to do it in Norway. They are probably setting him up with a nice penthouse apartment, with a great view!
If you did massacre people, you would be put in jail for the rest of your natural life, as Breivik did. Yes, the maximum years you can get is 21 years. However, for special cases, we have something not deemed prison term, we call it 'preventive detention', and when you get that ruling, you can be put behind bars forever.
Now, you can only incarcerate people using the preventive detention ruling for 10 years the first time, and then you need to reevaluate every 5 years. This is to prevent us from putting them behind bars and throwing away the key without having to mill it over every 5 years.
At any case, he will never see the light of day again, you can rest assured.
Sorry Kjell, Norway but I disagree. We are talking about a country that sentences a person who has done this to a "maximum" of 21 years. They have a law that doesn't fit the crime. Yes there are ways to keep him in prison and I'm sure nobody will want to be the one to set him free. But at the same time I'll bet years ago that nobody thought a country would have a 21 year maximum sentence. The liberal way of thinking is winning in the world and you can especially see it in the older countries. As a conservative I'm constantly told that all I want to do is stay in the past. Not that I disagree with all changes in history but many I do. You accept the 21 year law as if it means nothing. With that way of thinking I'll bet money that he will be out of prison before he dies.
Kjell,
Are you familar with the many notables in history that acquired fame that came from a a stint in Prison? Hitler wrote Mein Kampf while he was resting in jail. We know how that went.
What is the true meaning of life? Mr. Peabody ansd Sherman tried to answer that question and the best they could come up with is Bullwinkle and Rockey.
How is it that the relatives are sitting quietly by and allowing this creature to continue to breathe? Based on the liberal laws there the worst a person could do is a year for littering should true justice prevail.
Just asking?
Lazarus
I confess that this is the kind of criminal act for which I could agree that a death penalty is appropriate. People are admonished to remain within certain behavioral boundaries while living here on Earth, and for something like this I would reunite them with God. To my way of thinking, God understands that mass murder is a bad idea such as should be utterly rejected. Stamp "Return to Sender" on his forehead and wish him well would be my policy, but I can understand those who advocate incarceration for life. Twenty one years and out? I think that would be very light punishment.
This guy is the first of a new breed of Christian terrorists. The Tea Party probably views him as a folk hero.
Obama drone spotted.
Folk hero like who-----Che? So happy he's gone....killed people who wanted more out of their lives. Like freedom.
Hopefully this guy never gets out. He ain't no Christian buttermagician, he's just a terrorist. Isn't it good your mother never viewed you as a human weed....planned parenthood would have a nice place for you in a trash bag.
By the way, terrorists are generally leftists.
Raacial cleansing is a leftist idea.....thus abortions. Shame this guy wasn't aborted.
I love how you libs jump on a religion. This wacko says he's a Christian and does something like this and you make it fact. Had he claimed to be a lefty liberal democrat from MA we would never hear from you.
"Terrorists are generally leftists." That's an unsupported assertion. What about Timothy McVey and the Oklahoma City bomibings. No leftist, he. What about THIS Norwegian guy? No leftist, he. More like a skinhead. Ethnic cleansing was not a leftist idea, but a fascist one in Germany with rumblings of traditionalism and mom-apple-pie German-style to accompany it. In other locations, it's often the idea of one brand or other of fundamentalist. Tea Party fundamentalist extremists come awfully close to fascism in their extreme beliefs. Read political history a little closer and also pay attention to the history of nationalist rightist killings--such as the death squads in El Salvador, now documented, as well as torture and killing in Argentina and Chile. No, I don't buy that all terrorists are leftists or even that they are generally leftists. There's plenty of political extremism to go around at both ends of the middle.
"Terrorists are generally leftist." Unsupported. What about Timothy McVeigh and the Oklahoma City bombing. No leftist, he. What about this Norwegian? No leftist, he. Maybe a skinhead? There's plenty of extremism to go around on both ends of the middle, to where they actually meet in some places. I lived in China. There, hardliners are like American ultra-conservatives. Mass killing and ethnic cleansing in World War II carried out by Germany was not leftist; it was fascist. Know your politics and history. Also, death squads in El Salvador; torture carried out in Argentina and Chile were done by military states, not leftists. In other areas currently experiencing these extremes of ethnic cleansing, it is often carried out by extreme fundamentalists of some stripe or other, not by leftists. Tea Party fundamentalists in America begin to look like the Taliban to many. And I believe they are generally considered extreme conservatives. BTW, former leftists among American conservatives include the neocons. The world may be a little more complex than a black and white view or even a leftist, rightist view.
WHAT does NASI stand for? Skinheads are socialists....not "right wingers". Did the NASI's not have all the social program goodies we are working on here as well as class warfare traits shared by communists and socialists. State sponsored terrorism, look at where you are talking about. China is communist. Hitler tried to convince the communists they were "the same".....at least on paper. Fascism has ultra right (which is funny, Republicans are for LIFE, even the unborn) with leftist principles. Sanger was not a right winger. Fascists were Italians. Terror from a state by the military is a mentality of a statist....a large government built upon the idea of the state as the major thing in your life....leftist....leftist lean to socialism. Did a lot of history and have a bachelors degree. Thankyou.
Name me a teapartier who has done a mass killing? WHO are the neocons---who? Constitutional fundamentalists? That was the 30's and 40's and they were against.....drum roll....communism. Where's the violence. Name me a hardliner that is conservative that sought to bring down the government? TEAparty is for smaller government and freedom to all, it is retaking the republican party to it's roots.....like back to the person hanging on Obama's wall.....LINCOLN. Look like the taliban. You are a true bufoon. Lower taxes, smaller government, less waste in spending, a balanced budget....this is not the stuff of the taliban dolt!
Look at the pics of the guy with the fist in the air. Who's symbol is that? It's like saying FORWARD is a term for progress when it is factually communist. Just like Obama's mentor. Frank Marshall Davis. Factually communist.
Oh dear! The poor guy! If only he did this massacre in the U.S. Then he would just have to spend a few weeks in the funny farm. From there he could negotiate his movie rights and have a ghost writer write a book for him. Boy, those Norwegians can really be tough.
@allahisgreat:
Look at your name and your comments. You are an abomination to Muslims and Allah. Brievik is a terrorist. And terrorists are not welcome. They will burn in hell either they are Muslim or non-Muslim. Who told you he is thought of as a hero by Muslims.
You had better renew your faith and ask Allah's forgiveness and promise to be a good Muslim.
He was in fact sentenced to "forvaring", which is legally different from a straight jail sentence. After a maximum of 21 years they must REVIEW his case to see if he remains a danger to society. If so, he can be held for five more years before his case is reviewed again. And again, he can be held for five more years, and this repeats until he is either dead or judged suitable for release. Basically, it's a life sentence with mandatory parole hearings.
Just to clarify for some of you who don't know much about Norwegian Legal System
Well.....Why bother to pay for people to interview this sadistic piece of work? If there is any justice, someone should just take him "out" while he is imprisoned.
Now, tell me, would you consider this as justice if it was one of your family members....or even a friend? Because, it was one of my family members.
Thanks, Laffen, for clarifying. The article said as much, but your comment makes it clear he will never get out. I can't speak for the others who are not Norwegian who think they can judge the Norwegian justice system, but I am sorry there are such narrow-minded people in this world. They remind me of the similar narrow-mindedness that apparently motivated this killer, whom I would consider a "psychopath," or a type of person who can kill in cold blood with no remorse, ever. Serial killers are often such people. Looks like he did his killing all at once. I wonder if he will have the same underlying belief-system that motivated him in 20 years. To me, the vengeance seekers here are too much like the killer himself. I am, for one, quite impressed with the justice of the Norwegian system which seems sensible and rational and adult to me.
Now that he's in a nice comfortable jail cell getting three meals a day he can write a book - just like O.J. Maybe it won't be quite as stupid. Oh wait! O.J. didn't do hit (lol)- it was those guys from outer space.
What is wrong with this picture 21 years is crazy he should get life with no chance of getting out...
If one armed gunman can kill 77 persons in a few hours, Assad's army (hundred thousands soldiers plus tanks and planes) can kill more than 8 millions persons per day! Assad had killed less than a dozen person per day; therefore, they must be all guilty. Assad should be congratulate for being a VERY PRUDENT dictator.
A dictator doesnt kill every second of the day... A dictator makes sure everybody does what he says they have to do. Killing is a small part of that. But in your fantasy it may be true. Sleep on and keep on american dreaming.
I think the court is correct. Someone can be fanatical without quite being insane, such as Hitler. Breivik falls into that category. The Aurora, CO shooter I'm guessing will turn out to be ruled actually insane, psychotic or schizophrenic.
So this mass killer of 77 people.....mostly innocent teenagers.... (and the horrible wounding of others) gets 21 yrs???? That's less than 3 mos per killing. Norway is a spineless country with NO justice involved for the misery this man caused....who seems arrogant to what he did. It's a horrible travesty and says a lot of such an unjust system in Norway.
I'm with the one post......send him to Texas.......those people know how to handle JUSTICE!!!
Life imprisonment is for sure. But unfortunately he will live in a Hilton with buddies playing chess and hockey. He should be in a cell without light by himself 10 hours with 14 hours of forced hard labour to pay for the costs! Only old bread and tab water. No visits - ever! No TV, no newspaper: No nada!
If it the maximum sentence of 21 years were put in place tomorrow in the states, would it be an incentive for you to kill anyone?The notion that an over-kill strict jail sentence is a deterrence just isn't correct. The incarceration rate in the states is 10 times higher than in Norway, and homicide rate is around 15 times higher, so obviously Norway has gotten it right.
Personally I think the harshest punishment is having a murderer in jail for a very long time, and then have to re-adapt to a changed society. That is punishment. I also think the top three important reasons we have prisons are: Deterrence, keeping away danger, and rehabilitation. Justice isnt one of those three. Just for that second reason i stated, I also dont believe he will be out of prison within those 21 years.
Rehabilitation is not for this guy, sorry. He will ALWAYS be a &é"'(§è!ç racist bastard! He is too smart to be rehabilitated. He mocks democracy and therefore democracy should mock him back by giving him hard forced labour. These racists are all work-haters;) They want the Untermenschen to serve their lazy asses! He killed mostly of his own race; those who support foreign people and their culture in his 'Vaterland'!
That's because they've taken away many rights and freedoms of the people of Norway. So then when you have one go wacko like this guy they take out over 70 people. Don't remember that happening in the USA by one person.
Yes we have a higher crime rate here in the USA. We also have more freedoms, like the freedom to protect ourselves. At least for now. I will admit the liberal way of thinking is winning so I don't expect it will be long before someone can take out 70+ in one spree.
Now that he's been declared sane, I'd bet the NRA would want to restore his gun rights if and when he ever left prison. After all, if he's paid his debt to society, why shouldn't he enjoy the same freedoms as the rest of us?
If there was an armed person around maybe he wouldn't have killed so many. How does a meatball like you even know how to type?
Criminals get guns illegally. Look at this clown and then look at yourself.
Nice name by the way.....they like racial cleansing too.
But there wasn't an armed person around. There never seems to be one in any mass shootings anywhere.
Criminals in these shootings tend to get their guns legally, as shown by the Virginia Tech, Tucson, and Aurora massacres.
There were plenty of armed people around in Texas when Charles Whitman started shooting from the Tower back in the 1960s. Just having guns around doesn't mean they are able to be used instantly to save lives. In fact, most statistics clearly show that YOUR gun is MORE likely to be used against YOU than for your protection. I'm not against guns for recreation. But when you start arming people, you get situations like I experienced as a teacher at Texas A&M University where a student threatened a teacher while reviewing a grade. The student made clear to the teacher that there was a gun (illegal on campus) in their backpack. Guns are great for recreation, but we could be a lot safer if fewer guns were being used to kill others. I'm not about banning guns, but regulating their use in appropriate settings. Also, consider that it's far too easy for mentally unstable people to get guns in the U.S. I have a bipolar relative who had a gun, occasioning a swat team episode, during which she put the gun to her own mouth. Should that person have been a lawful carrier of a gun. No! So, consider some more complex issues than just "Got my gun, gonna protect myself and everyone else" macho posturing.
25 years as a martial arts teacher and avid shooter, I'll take your comments with a chuckle. Go ahead and dial 911. Some of us just call an ambulance for the dead idiot.
They should have walked (or drag) him from the courtroom right to the gallows.
Norway needs to change it's laws when it comes to mass murderers or killing of any kind. The p.o.s. who showed so little regard for human life should get death. If not death, life in prison without parole.
Folks, this was a horrific act which will be repeated over and over again on this planet like Groundhog Day, (the movie). So, 21 years or 2100 years or the death sentence; how does that prevent future mass murders? These arbitrary sentences are symbolic, and while they may bring some comfort to the victim's families and society at large, it does NOTHING to address the underlying fears and demons and ignorance that plague so many humans who walk free... May God bless the souls of those who were taken at such a young age. RM
Norway... the land of wolves among sheep!
This sentence is laughable. Shame on Norway. No justice for the 77 murder victims.
USA sentences are laughable too. More people in prison in the LandOfTheFree than in "socialist" countries. And even higher crimerate than elsewhere.
Well DUH ! When over a Third are in there with 50 yr sentence for getting caught with a joint what do one expect . Reagan's. trillion dollar war on drugs has only enriched law enforcement but nothing else . And using supply side economics it has only increased the violence because the dealer profit increase while people falsely believe supplies have decreased .
And as to violent crime I think they should drop sex ed and make gun training mandatory with all the gory pictures like we used to see in drivers ed . then maybe EVERYONE will understand both ends of the barrel