Norway Shooting and Explosion Suspect Admits Firing Weapons on Youth Camp Island
Suspect admitted firing weapon at camp where 85 were killed, cops say.
July 23, 2011— -- The man suspected of shooting and killing at least 85 at a summer youth camp in Norway, just hours after setting off an explosion in nearby Oslo that killed seven, posted a video on YouTube hours before the attacks denouncing "cultural marxism" and calling for conservatives to "embrace martyrdom."
The video, with the title "Knights Templar 2083," was posted by Anders Behring Breivik, who was identified by several Norwegian media outlets as the suspect, was arrested and charged with acts of terrorism. Police have not confirmed his identity.
Police have confirmed that the video was uploaded by Breivik, according to Norway's TV2, but it has since been removed from the site.
"[If] the multiculturalist elites of Europe continue to refuse to voluntarily transfer political and military power to our conservative revolutionary forces ... then [the second world war] is likely going to appear as a picnic compared to the coming carnage," the video stated in captions.
The 12-minute video attacks "multiculturalism" as an attempt to destroy European identity, and includes President Obama and the European Union as targets of criticism.
Besides the video, a 1,500-page manifesto titled "2083 -- A European Declaration of Independence" was posted by "Andrew Berwick," an English translation of "Anders Breivik," on the website www.freak.no, called "Freak Forum."
The manifesto describes Breivik's background and political viewpoints, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Breivik had one post on his Twitter account, which was set up a few days ago: "One person with a belief is equal to the force of 100, 000 who have only interests."
Still Several Unknowns in the Case
Some witnesses to the shooting at the youth camp told police that there may have been more than one shooter at the camp, but this has not been confirmed by investigators. Police also said there may be undetonated explosives in Oslo around government buildings.
National Police Chief Sveinung Sponheim said at a news conference today that the suspect has been in "dialogue" with police, but the interrogations have been difficult.
Breivik, who was dressed in a police uniform during the shooting rampage, is described as a Christian fundamentalist and a member of "right-wing extremist groups in eastern Norway," and a farmer.
"We have searched his flat and also the farm that he has been buying, but we've not concluded our investigation there," Acting Oslo Police Chief Rodger Andresen said.
"He's not known by the police before, so we have not arrested him before or anything like that," Andresen said.
An agricultural material supplier told police that Breivik purchased at least six tons of fertilizer several weeks before the twin attacks. Fertilizer could be used to make bombs, and was a key element in the bomb used by Timothy McVeigh in the Oklahoma City bombing.
"This is beyond comprehension. It's a nightmare. It's a nightmare for those who have been killed, for their mothers and fathers, family and friends," Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg told reporters early today.
"This place where I have been every summer since 1979, and where I have experienced joy, commitment and security, has been hit by brutal violence -- a youth paradise has been transformed into a hell," Stoltenberg said.
Officials said the death toll could rise, and four or five people are still missing from the camp.
Just hours before the shooting at the summer youth camp, which is run by Norway's ruling party on the island of Utoya, explosions ripped through a government building in the capital city of Oslo and left at least seven people dead.
The suspect had been seen in Oslo earlier in the day, according to media reports.
