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Jail for Norwegian mass killer
An Oslo court on Friday found Anders Behring Breivik guilty of “acts of terror” and sentenced him to 21 years in prison, subject to extension, for his killing spree last year that left 77 people dead.
An Oslo court on Friday found Anders Behring Breivik guilty of “acts of terror” and sentenced him to 21 years in prison, subject to extension, for his killing spree last year that left 77 people dead.
The five judges unanimously found Breivik sane, a verdict in line with what the far-right extremist himself wanted, bringing to an end a spectacular 10-week trial for the attacks that traumatised normally-tranquil Norway and shocked the world.
Breivik killed eight people in an Oslo blast and took 69 more lives, mostly teenagers’, in a shooting frenzy at an island summer camp on July 22, 2011.
Norway’s penal code does not have the death penalty or life in prison, and the maximum prison term for Breivik’s charges is 21 years. However, inmates who after that are still considered a threat to society can be held indefinitely.
The 33-year-old loner had confessed to the attacks, seeing himself as a Nordic warrior against Europe’s “Muslim invasion” and against all those who promote multiculturalism.
The main question the court had to determine was whether he was sane and could be held responsible for his actions.
