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Norway Mass Murderer Breivik Found Sane, Guilty: Sentenced to ‘Preventive Detention’

Anders Behring Breivik Declared Sane and Sentenced

Norwegian extremist Anders Behring Breivik (C) arrives on June 22, 2012 in the courtroom in Oslo on the last day of his trial. Sixty-nine people died on the island, most of them teens. Breivik, 33, has confessed to the twin attacks but has refused to plead guilty, insisting they were 'cruel but necessary' to stop the Labor Party's 'multicultural experiment' and the 'Muslim invasion' of Norway and Europe. Credit: AFP/Getty Images

OSLO, Norway (TheBlaze/AP) — A Norwegian court sentenced Anders Behring Breivik to prison on Friday, denying prosecutors the insanity ruling they hoped would show that his massacre of 77 people was the work of a madman, not part of an anti-Muslim crusade.

Breivik smiled with apparent satisfaction when Judge Wenche Elisabeth Arntzen read the ruling, declaring him sane enough to be held criminally responsible and sentencing him to “preventive detention,” which means it is unlikely he will ever be released.

The sentence brings a form of closure to Norway, which was shaken to its core by the bomb and gun attacks on July 22, 2011, because Breivik’s lawyers said before the ruling that he would not appeal any ruling that did not declare him insane.

But it also means Breivik got what he wanted: a ruling that paints him as a political terrorist instead of a psychotic mass murderer. Since his arrest, Breivik has said the attacks were meant to draw attention to his extreme ideology and to inspire a multi-decade uprising by “militant nationalists” across Europe.

Prosecutors had argued Breivik was insane as he plotted his attacks to draw attention to a rambling “manifesto” that blamed Muslim immigration for the disintegration of European society.

Breivik argued that authorities were trying to cast him as sick to cast doubt on his political views, and said during the trial that being sent to an insane asylum would be the worst thing that could happen to him.

“He has always seen himself as sane so he isn’t surprised by the ruling,” Breivik’s defense lawyer Geir Lippestad said.

The five-judge panel in the Oslo district court unanimously convicted Breivik, 33, of terrorism and premeditated murder and ordered him imprisoned for a period between 10 and 21 years, the maximum allowed under Norwegian law. Such sentences can be extended as long as an inmate is considered too dangerous to be released, and legal experts say Breivik will almost certainly spend the rest of his life in prison.

It was not clear whether prosecutors would appeal the ruling. If not, and if Breivik sticks to his word not to appeal a prison term, the legal process for one of the darkest chapters in Norwegian history will have come to a close.

Survivors of the attacks and relatives of victims welcomed the ruling.

“I am very relieved and happy about the outcome,” said Tore Sinding Bekkedal, who survived the Utoya shooting.

“I believe he is mad, but it is political madness and not psychiatric madness,” Bekkedal said. “He is a pathetic and sad little person.”

Wearing a dark suit and sporting a thin beard, Breivik smirked as he walked into the courtroom to hear his sentence, and raised a clenched-fist salute.

Anders Behring Breivik Declared Sane and Sentenced

Extremist Anders Behring Breivik gestures on the last day of his trial on June 22, 2012, in room 250 of Oslo's central court. Credit: AFP/Getty Images

Breivik confessed to the attacks during the trial, describing in gruesome detail how he detonated a car bomb at the government headquarters in Oslo and then opened fire at the annual summer camp of the governing Labor Party’s youth wing. Eight people were killed and more than 200 injured by the explosion. Sixty-nine people, most of them teenagers, were killed in the shooting spree on Utoya island. The youngest victim was 14.

Breivik’s lawyers say he is already at work writing sequels to the 1,500-page manifesto he released on the Internet before the attacks. Breivik most likely will be sent back to Ila Prison, where he has been held in pretrial detention. He has access to a computer there but no Internet connection. He can communicate with the outside world through mail, which is checked by prison staff.

The impact of Breivik’s violence has been huge. It has forced Norway to accept that terror doesn’t come only in the guise of foreign fundamentalists, but can come from one of their own. The son of a Norwegian diplomat and a nurse who divorced when he was a child, Breivik had been a law-abiding citizen until the attacks, except for a brief spell of spray-painting graffiti during his youth.

The judges noted that Breivik’s extreme anti-immigration views are shared by others, but said it found no evidence that the modern-day crusader network that Breivik claims to belong to, exists.

Norwegian police and government ministers have faced severe criticism for their actions before and during the attacks. The police response was marred by poor communication and technical mishaps. It took police more than an hour to reach Utoya, as a boat carrying the SWAT team was overloaded and stalled in the middle of the lake. Norway‘s only police helicopter wasn’t used because its crew was on vacation.

Norway’s justice minister and police chief both resigned in the aftermath and some critics have called on the prime minister to step down.

The judges took turns reading sections of the 90-page ruling, starting with the verdict and sentence, and then going over a chronology of the rampage, victim by victim, and describing their injuries.

Judge Arne Lyng noted that the fertilizer bomb that Breivik set off outside the government headquarters could have been even more devastating.

“It was pure luck that not many more were killed,” Lyng said.

Since his guilt was not in question, Brevik’s sanity was the key issue to be decided by the trial, with two psychiatric teams reaching opposite conclusions. One gave Breivik a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia, a severe mental illness that would preclude imprisonment, while the other found him narcissistic and dissocial – having a complete disregard for others – but criminally sane.

Comments (27)

  • FionnTebo
    Posted on August 24, 2012 at 2:23pm

    This is a win for the criminal if you guys dont know whats going on here…. He wants to be labeled “sane” because this was not just some random attack against 77 people… this was a strategic planning of years and years for him to gather the resources he needed to do it….He wants to be tried as a war criminal because he belives he is just that…. a WAR criminal…. He is at war with muslims…. He did this in turn for Norway to not grant asylum for immigrants…. you guys think its over i think this guy is just beginning…. He gave up his arms to one guard… it didnt take a army to bring this “madman” down it took one guy….May his victims RIP…..i mean he bought a farm so he could buy fertilizers to make bombs… he bought guns and ammo and waited 5 years…. while im not condoneing his actions it seems that he is 100% “sane” even if hes a little crazy.,…. and the reason why murder and stuff is only 10-21 years is because they actually have “good” lifes over there and waisting 10-21 years of that life is worth 5 lifes of an americans time(in regards of criminals not people).

    Report Post »  
  • Truthnotpolitics
    Posted on August 24, 2012 at 8:52am

    Plain and simple, he was a coward firing on kids, killing them.. The Europeon sentence of 21 years is pathetic. If ever there was a case for the death penalty this is it.

    Report Post »  
  • Locked
    Posted on August 24, 2012 at 8:48am

    How many more idiots will say “10-21 years!? Europe is STUPID!”, do we think? Perhaps they’re missing the part of the article that says:

    “Such sentences can be extended as long as an inmate is considered too dangerous to be released, and legal experts say Breivik will almost certainly spend the rest of his life in prison.”

    He’s never going free. He’s not going to be executed and become a martyr for other extremists or ultra-nationalists. He going to be locked up for the rest of his life.

    Report Post »  
    • 502_eagle
      Posted on August 24, 2012 at 9:29am

      No your missing the point, the sentence is 10-21 years after which they will decide if he is to dangerous to release. Because he killed 77 people he will likely spend his life behind bars. Note the key word likely. He killed 77 people and got the max sentence of 21 years.

      Report Post » 502_eagle  
    • Charles
      Posted on August 24, 2012 at 9:54am

      MAX sentence for murdering 77 people = 21 years. Only in Europe. Like an empty headed pretty young lady Europe has beautiful vistas but in its heart it is quite totally empty.

      Report Post »  
    • Locked
      Posted on August 24, 2012 at 10:09am

      “He killed 77 people and got the max sentence of 21 years.”

      And as you said: he’s (likely) spend the rest of his life behind bars.

      I’m really not seeing the issue. If the 21 year sentence actually means life, why do you decry it?

      Report Post »  
    • 502_eagle
      Posted on August 24, 2012 at 10:17am

      What happens in a case where someone kills 3 or 4 people and doesn’t get alot of attention? The law says 21 years. The keep this guy behind bars using any technical trick possible. There is a reason why the Prosecusion pressed for isanity.

      Report Post » 502_eagle  
    • Locked
      Posted on August 24, 2012 at 11:55am

      And what happens in the US, where murderers get “life imprisonment” and it lasts 20-30 years? Is it not the same coin but a different side?

      A life sentence in the US is traditionally 20 years. The only ones who really get life are those “without parole.” Look at the case of John Lennon’s killer; just came up for parole, was turned down flat. It’ll be the same with Breivik, except on the opposite side of the pond.

      Report Post »  
    • Balpit
      Posted on August 24, 2012 at 2:11pm

      “Such sentences can be extended as long as an inmate is considered too dangerous to be released, and legal experts say Breivik will almost certainly spend the rest of his life in prison.”

      That’s not a guarantee. Just because it CAN be extended doesn’t mean it WILL be extended.
      “Almost certainly” is not a synonym for “definitely will”.

      Report Post »  
  • bikerdogred1
    Posted on August 24, 2012 at 8:32am

    He is probably a very nice guy once you get to know him,that‘s if he don’t shoot and kill you.

    Report Post »  
  • ColoradoMaverick
    Posted on August 24, 2012 at 8:29am

    10-21 years for murdering 77 people? These Euro-trash countries are pathetic!

    Report Post » ColoradoMaverick  
    • myway
      Posted on August 24, 2012 at 8:41am

      The let 80% of the Nazi’s loose for killing millions. Obama would kill more babies if he could on an alter at the DNC Convention and no one cares..

      Report Post » myway  
    • Locked
      Posted on August 24, 2012 at 8:46am

      Learn to read:
      “Such sentences can be extended as long as an inmate is considered too dangerous to be released, and legal experts say Breivik will almost certainly spend the rest of his life in prison.”

      He will never be a free man again.

      Report Post »  
  • guz75
    Posted on August 24, 2012 at 8:28am

    Is it really that tough to understand that different countries, have different legal systems. The maximum sentence that can be handed down is 21 years, the ‘preventative detention’ element referenced in the article means once the 21 years have been served, he can continue to be held with a review every 5 years. Meaning he will almost certainly be held for the rest of his life.

    Report Post »  
    • tajloc
      Posted on August 24, 2012 at 8:53am

      Doh! So let me get this straight. He will be in the slammer for all his life and since my Gov is committed to giving this country cash… In a sense I will be paying for his food and recreation. I have another plan. He should be gone.

      Report Post »  
    • Sol Invictus
      Posted on August 24, 2012 at 5:06pm

      @TAJLOC
      Doh, get this straight – where do you get the half **sed idea that a rich country like Norway gets any money from the US? For God‘s sake don’t reduce this tragedy to anything to do with money. This is about a sicko who is insane by any measure.

      Report Post » Sol Invictus  
  • Mr.Fitnah
    Posted on August 24, 2012 at 8:22am

    This is what happens when the government fails to listen to the people…

    Report Post » Mr.Fitnah  
  • Tri-ox
    Posted on August 24, 2012 at 8:16am

    Well apparently, judging from the ridiculously light sentence handed down, the people and government of Norway weren’t really “shaken” by the slaughter of these 77 people, most of them children, and apparently they don’t take murder or terrorism seriously.

    Report Post » Tri-ox  
  • tuppergun
    Posted on August 24, 2012 at 8:07am

    after they let him out he will get sent to the US.

    Report Post »  
  • Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
    Posted on August 24, 2012 at 8:06am

    10 to 21 years for 77 deaths:

    Averages 45.4 to 99.54 days per victim, and not counting the remaining lives they would have lived; the years of grief their families will endure and time already endured; and the physical and mental terror and damage incurred by the survivors.

    I can think of a simpler method that takes four seconds:

    1. Ready!
    2. Aim!
    3. Fire!
    4. 77 gun salute/one for each fatality.

    Report Post » Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}  
    • Locked
      Posted on August 24, 2012 at 8:47am

      “Such sentences can be extended as long as an inmate is considered too dangerous to be released, and legal experts say Breivik will almost certainly spend the rest of his life in prison.”

      Try reading the article next year, not just the first paragraph.

      Report Post »  
  • 502_eagle
    Posted on August 24, 2012 at 7:55am

    Cover him in peanutbutter and toss him to some fire ants.

    Report Post » 502_eagle  
  • toiletclogga
    Posted on August 24, 2012 at 7:44am

    Death by strangulation is my sentence! 10-21 years? European Liberals! Need I say anymore?

    Report Post »  
    • 502_eagle
      Posted on August 24, 2012 at 7:56am

      10-21 years for killing 77 teenagers. And Europe is the model the libs have for the U.S.

      Report Post » 502_eagle  
    • Locked
      Posted on August 24, 2012 at 8:47am

      Cough…

      “Such sentences can be extended as long as an inmate is considered too dangerous to be released, and legal experts say Breivik will almost certainly spend the rest of his life in prison.”

      Report Post »  

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