The man behind the bombing and mass shooting which resulted in the death of 76 people in Norway on Friday has revealed to his lawyer, Geir Lippestad, that he believes he is a ‘savior’ of Norway and Europe. The attorney told the Associated Press in an interview that he believes his client is “ insane” but did not know if he was going to use an insanity defense.

Apparently, Anders Behring Breivik is unaware of the impact his actions have had and he asked his attorney how many people he had killed — a question Mr. Lippestad said he did not answer.

In a statement to AP, Lippestad explained “His reason [for the attacks] is that he wants to start a war against democracy, against the Muslims in the world, and as he said he wants to liberate Europe and the Western world.”

“He asked me if I was shocked and if I would explain to him what happened,” Lippestad continued. “He didn’t know if he had succeeded with his plan.”

The Huffington Post reported that Breivik has admitted to taking drugs to boost his performance during the killing spree and believes his ‘operation’ has gone according to plan. “He expects that this is a start of a war that will last for 60 years. But his mind is very [...] well I don’t want to comment more on his mind, but that’s what he believes,” said Lippestad, who himself is a member of the targeted Labour Party. “He looks upon himself as a warrior. And he started this war, and takes some kind of pride in that.”

Breivik has insinuated that he is part of a wider network across Europe called ‘Knights Templar’ which is dedicated to what the 32-year-old has described as ‘anti-jihad’ in his 1,500-page manifesto. However, police have stated that they believe he acted alone, despite no conclusive evidence excluding accomplices. European security officials have in any case heightened their awareness of far-right statements online.

On Tuesday, the Norwegian police began publishing the names of some of the victims, revealing devastating last minutes before death. Gunnar Linaker, 23, was on the phone with his father when Breivik opened fire. Roald Linaker told AP “He said to me: ‘Dad, dad, someone is shooting,’ and then he hung up.”

More names will be revealed in the coming days as victims are being identified and their relatives informed.

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About the author

Claudia Sondergaard
Specialised in American foreign policy media discourse, I have a real passion for media and writing and feel comfortable in subjects such as human rights, politics, environment, social issues, movies, TV and books. Reporting from Denmark. Follow me @swirlgirlversus

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