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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:
Live in another culture for awhile before judging it's justice system. I'm from Texas. And that state has executed people with very low IQs, mentally ill persons, and, no doubt, innocent people. One example is a man who tried to save his children from a burning home. Prosecutors said he set the fire. But fire experts disproved that evidence. Even so, he was executed. See long article in The New Yorker on this evidence failure. That happens when the State is rabidly pro-death penalty. By contrast, Norway's solution seems sensible and wise. He won't get out since every review will include all the testimony of the first trial. Read the article. He won't kill again. Problem solved.
There's a difference between "bleeding heart" and rational/sensible, my friend. The vengeance seekers sound more like the killer than wise and able prosecutors here. Just more angry venting. If the killer is a "sociopath," he'll never change. If he IS sane, he might change and eventually learn a measure of remorse. In any case, executions can be far more expensive than holding people in prison indefinitely.
OK, then. Got this one done.
Who's next?
He got 21 years for killing 77 people? SMH liberals....
What a slap in the face to the murdered victims and their families. To include the word "justice" into their system is a mistake. This is one of many evils from a socialist society.
Wow that is 3.27 months for every person he killed. The victims families should be happy with that. If you are a mass murderer that id the place to move to. At that rate the killer in Colorado will get less than 4 years
This is off-topic, but you brought it up. The shooter in CO will not get 4 years, he will get life in an institution for the criminally insane. If you think that's "getting off" you've never seen the inside of one of those places. Even nice, private mental hospitals are a living hell. Imagine being in one in which all the other inmates are murderers, too.
Seriously? You sound like you feel sorry for the CO shooter? Unfortunately liberals have succeeded in changing the meaning of prison. It's no longer punishment for the crime but more for rehabilitation or a deterrent or even so they won't hurt anyone else.
Just read another article about a mother that is trying to raise money to see the person that k1lled her daughter executed so she knows he can't do the same thing to any other people.
Um, how about he willingly and viciously took your daughters life and the punishment for that is you loose YOUR life???
Now the people of Norway get to pay for all his food, clothing, and medical expenses. There is a chance that he could be released and do it all over again. The death penality would solve all of these problems, but the people of Norway have decided that they are willing to take the chance that he will do it again. You reap what you sow.
For all of the posters here who are calling for Texas style 'justice'. You clearly have never learned the first thing about human psychology, which is that violence only begets more violence. The reason we're such a violent country? Because we teach children that it's acceptable for the 'state' to decide who lives and who dies; that it's ok for an adult to beat on you because they're bigger than you; that the only way you get someone to do what you think is morally acceptable is through physical coercion or violence. Hell the tea party has more than once called for 'second amendment remedies'. The wife of a Supreme Court Justice stood in front of crowd and said that if 'Obamacare' was ruled constitutional the tea party should take up arms and 'take out' every democratic politician in the country. A candidate for the US Senate said if she didn't win, the electorate should take 'second amendment remedies' to correct the injustice of not putting her crazy a$$ in office.
And based on the posters here, I would say they've done a hell of a job convincing all of you that old testament punishment is the way to go. An eye for an eye, etc. I'm surprised none of you armed and dangerous whackos haven't yet tried to use those remedies to change the white house, but when you lose again, I'm sure that is what Rush will be calling for. Are any of you brave enough to stand behind your heinous words? Or are all of you like Ginny Thomas and Sharon Angle, all tough talk and no action? Today Rush alleged that the President of the United States had ordered the Hurricane Watch Center to lie about the path of tropical storm Issac to disrupt the RNC convention planning! When oh when will you right wing idiots get a brain????
Snarkqueen1...I fully agree with you. The US is the only modern country that still institutes the death penalty and we have far more crime than any other. Remember I said "modern," I'm not talking about Iran. The death penalty is not only inhumane, it's state-sponsored murder and has been proven again and again not to be a deterrent. Good for Norway for showing how to treat people (yes, even murderers are people) with dignity. And do any of you know that it is MORE expensive to tax payers to put someone to death? Apparently you don't.
Hey Patsycamoure3, You ever hear the saying I MIGHT BE DUMB BUT I'M NOT STUPID? Well I'd have to say you're both. You're comment HAS TO BE THE MOST ASININE THING I'VE EVER READ. Are you kidding me???? This FUC- NUT is a MURDERER. He confessed to killing all those people, or can't you read???? HUMANITY? Was he humane to those he SHOT? He didn't just shoot them once he walked right up to them and put another bullet in them just to make sure they were dead. REVENGE? You're damn right people want revenge. Most of the ones he murdered were children. Perhaps if ones of thoses gunned down was your kid you might feel different. But then probablly not. PUNISHMENT. You're damn skippy. If I was there I'd tie his ass to a stake and light the match. So you RETARTED B-ITCH. Get a CLUE or go to NORWAY with your B.S. and see what kind of reception you get there. HELL maybe you'll be lucky, they might just BEAT YOU SENSELESS and send you on your way. Oh! Sorry I forgot someone already did that.
Its all about the Golden Rule that every religion and viewpoint contains.
If you murder a murderer, you yourself become a murderer.
The first murderer is gone, but you are alive. If murder is worth to kill for, who is allowed to kill you for killing someone?
with any luck he will be in a cell with two big black guys who will make him do a lot of bending and blowing for the next 21 years that should take his mind off blowing people up or shooting anyone.
denlexx you are aware this is not a US jail, aren't you?
you mean they don,t do sex in prison over in norway or is it they don,t have any big black guys a few big white ones will do just as well, bet you if he,s put with any other prisioers he won,t last long for sure
HEY denlexx, Not RACIST much are ya???? Prisoner's has got an N in it too. Strange isn't it you really must have ment the N word huh. Just afraid to say it aren't you. PUSSY!!!!!!
Norwegians are whimps! This poor excuse for a human being needs to receive some old fashioned Chinese justice (a bullet in the back of the head at sunrise). Anything less than death as a punnishment "cheapens" and disrespects the value of those innocent victims who were slaughtered in cold blood.
Well since he asked for the death penalty if he wasn't found 'not guilty', that wouldn't be a punishment at all.
In Norway most people don't believe in "an eye for an eye".
"Oh you killed someone? that's not allowed, so now I'm going to kill you" It's just wrong.
Prison is too good for this person, he should be drawn and quartered.
77 lives taken to make a political statement. He should be locked in a 4 by 4 room plastered with photos of his victims and never be allowed to see the light of day.
Surely there is an uninhabited island way out in the ocean somewhere for these aberrations.
The boat pulls up within 500 feet or so - removes their chains - and just drops 'em off. If they make it to land...well, ok. If they can survive on sand crabs...well, ok. If not...well, ok.
Of course this wouldn't do anything to curb over-zealous lawyers and judges and prosecutors - unless of course - that they too would get dropped off should even a single case be reversed. (If you have the 'authority' to execute or send someone away for life - then you better make damned sure you are right every time.)
That's what you get with "wench" women judges. So he was sane,....there are still 77 dead "innocent" people. Maybe his government will realize that he felt threatened with those people. Then again,....maybe they'll change their law regarding the death penalty. If you feel threatened, kill 'em, if not, live and let live. Christ is coming back and will straighten out the queers.
Let me see. He kills 77 people and is proud of it and all he gets all of 21 years in prison as a sentence? What a joke the Norwegian legal system is.
Thats the mentality of the typical eurotrash individual.
No, he gets 21 years and preventive custody. That basically means that he will never be a free man again. It's all in the article if you bother to read it.
I understand that the people that are not from Norway may struggle a bit with understanding our justice system, but I can assure you it works.
AIJ82: Tell that to the victims and their families!
Well, most of the victims and the ones who lost their loved ones are satisfied with the ruling, according to norwegian television and news papers.
I do know some of the families and victims, being in the AUF (Labour Youth) for several years.
Since Breivik asked for the death penalty if he wasn't found 'not guilty' that wouldn't have been any kind of punishment for him.
21 years? Thats .29 years for each of his vistims and that does not even cover the victims that will recover. Norway needs to rewrite their penal code in a big way. To top this off they are advertising for people to come to the prison for play dates for this killer. What kind of mental midgets must be in pwer in Norway?
Who ever said move him to Texas is correct. He'd be lucky to be alive for the next 21 days. Texas in one state with its priorities straight when it comes to punishing criminals. God Bless Texas.
Too bad Norway doesn't have a death penalty. This guy certainly deserves it.
This guy's aversion to multiculturalism sounds vaguely familiar...Hitler maybe?
21 years seems like an awful light sentence for killing 77 people...that's not even a year for each murder. It is easy to say "well, they'll just never sign the release papers". Still, has human life so little value that the possibility that this man could get out in 21 years would even be left as a possibility.
In my opinion if you kill ONE person in cold blood you should never see the light of day again.
Anders Breivik got everything he wanted! He got out his message, had it validated by the Norwegian court system, and he even got the sentence he wanted. So the only way you can get a "life" sentence in Norway is to be declared insane. There's something wrong with that kind of logic.
Bu with that being said: And I know a lot of you right-wing morons are getting erections today because you're going on the internet to boast about how Norway should have put a bullet in his head, and what wimps the Norwegians are. Executing him would have solved nothing. If anything, had that actually happened, a lot of you would have been bitching that Norway silences the voices of right-wing extremists!!!
If he were an American, he'd be a Republican, a Tea Party follower, and a lifetime member of the NRA.
Dense of a brick. Obama drone.
Breivik killed 77 people and his sentence is 21 years.
In Saudi Arabia a woman who ripped a page of Coran was condemned to death.
Where is the problem ?
Human justice is a non sense
Hey MSN what is with the stupid MCDonalds pop up in the middle of the page? I click on comments to read comments not play some half @ssed game that is in the middle of someones comment.
Norway is a scary country. If you do the math on this sentence (even at 12 years) he gets about 1/3 of a year in jail time for each killing!! Three months in exchange for killing someone? How cheap life must be there.... wow. It's no wonder they breed guys like this. Breivik is sane. It's Norwegians that are NUTS!!!