It hasn’t even been a year since Anders Behring Breivik detonated a bomb in Olso, Norway in order to kill eight individuals, and then brutally shot and murdered 69 others, and already five other men are following in his footsteps, as well as  in those of the infamous Oklahoma city bomber, Timothy McVeigh. All of these men also have something in common: they are all anarchists. The only difference: while Breivik and McVeigh’s bombs detonated according to plan, the five men from Cleveland, Ohio were unsuccessful.

The five men have since been identified as Douglas Wright, 26; Brandon Baxter, 20; Anthony Hayne, 35; Joshua Stafford, 23 and Connor Stevens, 20. As of Monday the men were arrested and taken into custody while they await trial.

The Associated Press reported that “federal authorities on Tuesday described the men as anarchists who are angry with corporate America and the government and unknowingly worked with an FBI informant for months as they crafted and carried out their plan.”

According to the information released thus far, the men received the explosives from an undercover employee. The ‘explosives’ were then placed at the bottom of the bridge ( approximately 15 miles from downtown) that oversees the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Once the men left the scene, they attempted to detonate the explosives by using a “text message detonation code.”

The men were easy to track down, and were arrested that evening. According to the FBI, they have been following these men for some time now. FBI agents have been creating fake terrorist plots in order to find these suspects. As for preventing terrorism, the government considers this one of the top strategies in catching terrorists.

“They talked about making a statement against corporate America and the government as some of the motivations for their actions,” U.S. Attorney Steven Dettelbach said Tuesday.

Additionally, according to court documents, the police had been secretly recording them as their suspicions of the suspects grew. During one conversation, Brandon Baxter was found saying, “Taking out a bridge in the business district would cost the … corporate big wigs a lot of money.” The Associated Press explained that this was “because it would cause structural damage and prevent people from going to work.”

All five men have been charged with attempting to destroy property in interstate commerce and conspiracy. They made an appearance in the U.S. District Court last Tuesday, and were then taken to jail without the possibility of receiving bail. The men were facing penalties of up to 20 years in prison, but after their court hearing on Monday, another charge has been added: attempted use of a mass destruction weapon. If the men are convicted, they are facing a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

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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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The 32-year-old Anders Behring Breivik who took responsibility for the twin attacks in Norway on Friday, appeared in court Monday, admitting to the massacre but denying the terrorism charges.

The charges against him refer to ‘destabilizing vital functions of society, including government, and causing serious fear in the population’, according to the BBC. Breivik had requested to wear a uniform to the hearing but was denied by the court. He had asked for full media presence, but this was also denied as Judge Kim Heger ruled that Breivik might be using the opportunity to signal yet unidentified accomplices.

According to the Norwegian penal code, the crimes of the right-wing extremist can result in up to 21 years of prison, but the Norwegian police is considering charging the attack according to a revised section of the law that refers to crimes against humanity. One of the clauses in the 2008 revision includes the persecution of a group based on their political convictions. This could give Breivik up to 30 years in prison.

So far, Breivik has to remain eight weeks in custody under a letter-, visitation- and media ban. Four of these weeks will be in total isolation. During the hearing, he recognized that he would be spending the rest of his life in prison.

According to Breivik’s lawyer, the 32-year-old does not believe his act was wrong. Breivik also claimed that people would try to shoot him on the way to the hearing and is under the impression that torture is common practice in Norwegian prisons. “He has a different understanding of how it is to be in prison, completely removed from reality,” said his lawyer, Geir Lippestad.

The prosecutor Christian Hatlo, described Breivik’s appearance in court as ‘calm’. “He had a great need to explain why he had done what he did. He was to some extend allowed to do so but once he started to read from his alleged manifest, and that started to drag on, he was interrupted by the judge.”

Breivik had argued that he “was acting to save Norway and Europe from ‘Marxist and Muslim colonisation’” and according to a BBC report, he claimed that his operation was aimed specifically at Norway’s governing Labour Party. He accuses them of failing the country on immigration.

Two psychiatrists have been appointed to assess Breivik’s mental health.

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