Suspect in Horrific Norwegian Attacks Tied to 'Right-Wing Extremist Groups

A terrible attack shook the country of Norway early Friday morning. Police have linked one man to both the bombing of government buildings in Oslo and the shooting of numerous young people at a summer camp on a nearby island.

So what do we know about the suspect?

TV2, which is Norway’s largest broadcaster, has identified the suspect as 32-year-old Anders Behring Breivik. He's at least 6 ft tall and blonde (and partially balding). TV2 describes him as a member of  “right-wing extremist groups in eastern Norway.” Norwegian Justice Minister Knut Storberget confirmed the identification in London’s Telegraph.

The suspect’s name and age match the identity of the only director of a company called Breivik Geofarm, a business that works to grow various crops and reportedly employs almost 800 individuals.

The Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet reported that he's been living in Oslo. It said authorities stormed the suspect’s home after Friday's attacks:

“Police officers in protective gear armed with machine guns arrived at 23:45 p.m. at a residential building in Oslo,” the report says. “A 32-year-old man has been arrested in two terrorist attacks today in Oslo and Utoya, Dagbladet has learned that the man has been living at that address.”

We also have an eyewitness account: The Toronto Star interviewed one young woman who was so close to the suspect she said she could hear his breathing between shots.

15-year-old Elise (whose last name is omitted in the report at the request of her father) told The Star the suspect was dressed up as a police officer. Not knowing where the first shots came from she said she was comforted by his presence at first. Fear quickly took hold after she realized the “police officer” was the one firing the shots and reportedly killed people in front of her eyes.

So far, the attacks have killed at least 20 people. This has been the worst violence in Norway, the home of the Nobel Peace Prize, since World War II.