Norway Terror Suspect Demands Army Command, Japanese Shrinks
Lawyer: Demands show Anders Breivik "far, far from the real world."
Aug. 2, 2011 -- The man suspected of murdering 77 people in Norway last month has made jailhouse demands so unusual and unrealistic his lawyer said it shows he "does not know how society works."
Geir Lippestad, attorney for accused mass murderer Anders Breivik, told reporters Tuesday his client had made two lists of demands -- one for practical jailhouse items like cigarettes and clothes, and another with far more bizarre requests. Breivik has told police he can exchange information on two other terror cells in Norway and several others around the world.
For one, Brievik is demanding the complete overthrow of the Norwegian and European societies, starting with the resignation of the Norwegian government. When the societies are rebuilt, Breivik said, he wants to play a key role.
He also said that if he were to undergo a mental health evaluation, it should be done by Japanese specialists because they "understand the idea and values of honor," Lippestad said, according to a report by The Associated Press. Breivik had previously requested he be allowed to appear in court in full military uniform and, during questioning, demanded to be made the head of the country's armed forces, Norway's NRK reported.
The demands are "unrealistic -- far, far from the real world and shows he doesn't know how society works," Lippestad said. "They are completely impossible to fulfill."
Breivik is accused of killing eight people in a bombing at a government building in Oslo hours before attacking unarmed teens at a Labour Party summer camp outside the capitol. There he gunned down 69 people before he surrendered to police. Police said today that Breivik had been one of the people to call them the day of the attack, according to local news reports.
In a 1,500-page manifesto apparently published by Breivik hours before the attack, Breivik claims to be just one warrior in a widespread crusade against Muslim immigration and integration in Norwegian and European society that will take 60 years to complete. The meticulous manifesto detailed Breivik's years-long preparations for the attack and presents an academic-style argument against what he called multicultural Marxism and Islamic colonization. In it, he says being arrested is all part of the plan.
"Your arrest will mark the initiation of the propaganda phase," Breivik writes. "Your trial offers you a stage to the world."
Breivik also mentions a plan to escape prison and execute a "bonus operation."
If convicted, Breivik could face a maximum sentence of up to 21 years in prison, but Norwegian authorities retain the right to evaluate whether he is fit for release at that point. Police have not found evidence of wider conspiracy.