BBC News Europe
26 July 2011 Last updated at 12:23 GMT
Norway attacks: Anders Behring Breivik insane - lawyer
The lawyer defending Anders Behring Breivik, who admits carrying out Friday's
mass killings in Norway, says his client is probably insane.
However he added it was too early to say if Mr Breivik would plead insanity.
The bombing in Oslo and shooting spree on a nearby island killed 76 people. Mr
Breivik is facing terrorism charges.
Police are considering also charging him with crimes against humanity, which
carry a possible 30-year sentence, a prosecutor has said.
Mr Breivik's lawyer, Geir Lippestad, told reporters: "This whole case indicated
that he is insane."
He said his client believed that he was in a war and that he would be
vindicated in 60 years' time.
A medical evaluation would be carried out to establish his psychiatric
condition, Mr Lippestad added.
He said Mr Breivik had told him he was part of an anti-Islam network that had
two cells in Norway and several more abroad.
Norwegian police and researchers have cast doubt on such claims, but said they
were investigating them.
Mr Lippestad also said that his client had used "some kind of drugs" before the
crime.
'Fantastic' police work
Mr Breivik, a right-wing Christian extremist, appeared in court on Monday to
face charges of destabilising vital functions of society, including government,
and causing serious fear in the population.
He accepted responsibility for the attacks but denied the terrorism charges.
Prosecutor Christian Hatlo told Aftenposten that a new charge of crimes against
humanity, which could be brought under a 2008 law, was "a possibility".
Police spokesman Sturla Henreiksboe told AFP news agency: "Police have so far
cited... the law on terrorism but seeking other charges has not been excluded."
Earlier Mr Hatlo said Mr Breivik claimed he had worked in a cell, or group, and
that there were two other cells working with him.
Although police sources say other groups are unlikely, Mr Hatlo said he "cannot
completely, and I stress completely, rule out that others were involved in what
happened".
He said his operation had not been aimed at killing as many people as possible
but that he wanted to create the greatest loss possible to Norway's governing
Labour Party, which he accused of failing the country on immigration.
The bomb in Oslo targeted buildings connected to the Labour government, and the
youth camp on Utoeya island that was attacked was also run by the party.
Later on Tuesday, police are due to formally release the names of the victims.
Norwegian Justice Minister Knut Storberget has praised the "fantastic" work
done by police.
"I had the opportunity to thank police in Oslo and other districts," he told
reporters after talks with Oslo's police chief.
The praise comes despite criticism in the media that officers were slow to
respond to the shooting on Utoeya island, where most of the victims died
following a bombing in the capital.
"It is very important that we have an open and critical approach," Mr
Storberget said, "but there is a time for everything."
Mr Breivik has been remanded in custody for eight weeks, the first four in full
isolation.
On Monday up to 250,000 people poured on to the streets of the capital, many of
them holding flowers in memory of the eight people killed in the Oslo blast and
the 68 who died at the youth camp on Utoeya.
Are you in Norway? Have you been affected by the attacks? Send us your stories
using the form below.
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