Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Breivik is taken back to scene of the crime to show police how he did it

 

Tony Paterson
Monday 15 August 2011 09:57 BST
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Norway's self-confessed mass murderer, Anders Breivik, has been taken back to the island where he slaughtered 69 young people, to show investigators exactly how he did it.

Police said yesterday that the 32-year-old gunman was driven to the scene of his crime on Norway's Utoya island, north-west of Oslo, on Saturday, where he spent eight hours reconstructing the shooting he carried out only hours after killing eight people in a bomb attack in the capital.

"The suspect wasn't emotionally unaffected by being back on Utoya, but he did not show any remorse," said Paal-Fredik Hjort Kraby, who is prosecuting the case.

Eerie photographs of Breivik's return to Utoya were published in Verdens Gang newspaper yesterday. They showed the killer wearing a bulletproof vest and tied to a lead held by a police officer as helicopters hovered overhead. Breivik was said to have taken the same ferry to the island that he used on the day of the massacre.

One of the photographs showed him standing and pretending to aim a rifle towards the fjord waters surrounding Utoya, where he shot and killed several of his panic-stricken victims as they tried to swim away from the island.

Mr Hjort Kraby said Breivik was "calm, detailed and collaborative", as he walked the same route he took on the day of the massacre and explained exactly what had happened.

The killer was filmed as he described the events of the massacre and the footage is expected to be used as evidence at his trial next year.

Geir Lippestad, Breivik's lawyer, said yesterday that his client had been able to recall in detail each shot he fired and every person he had killed on the afternoon of 22 July, with the assortment of high-powered rifles and automatic weapons he had taken to the island.

Police confirmed yesterday that Breivik had called them several times himself during the attacks, in what appeared to be an attempt to give himself up.

Mr Lippestad has said that his client is probably insane. However, police psychiatrists say that Breivik appeared to be fully in control and aware of his actions during both attacks and that the courts would be unlikely to accept a plea of insanity.

If convicted, Breivik would face a maximum 21 years imprisonment. However, under Norwegian law, he could remain in custody indefinitely after serving his sentence, if still considered a danger to the public.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in