Much more is to come on the Norwegian believed responsible for a massive explosion that hit a government building in Oslo and then the mass slaughter of teenagers at a youth camp.
The photo is of the suspect, Anders Behring Breivik, 32, said by news agencies to come from his Facebook page. He doesn’t look much like the suspect imagined by some of our blog’s right-wing contributors yesterday, when they were demanding apologies from Muslim leaders for the attack.
CNN puts the death toll from the bombing and gun slaughter at 91, 84 of them at the youth camp.
The suspect, who identified himself as working in farming, reportedly purchased six tons of fertilizer from an agricultural supply business in May. The echoes of the right-wing bombing in Oklahoma City are unmistakable. The man identified as a suspect described himself on his Facebook page as a conservative Christian. He’s also described in various accounts as a right-wing extremist and anti-Islam, a supporter of a notorious anti-Islamic Dutch politician. He registered three firearms with the government, including a Glock pistol and rifle (one account describes it as an automatic). He’s believed to have had a Twitter account with one post:
One person with a belief is equal to the force of 100,000 who have only interests.
These are described as some of Breivik’s writings.
The Guardian is reporting arrest of a second person (though scattered reports make it unclear if he’s viewed as related to the attacks or arrested for being armed with a knife to protect himself) and provides more background on Breivik in its extensive and constantly updated coverage:
What has emerged so far paints a disturbing picture: a Christian fundamentalist with a deep hatred of multiculturalism in his country, of the left and of Muslims who had written disparagingly of prominent Norwegian politicians. A fan of violent video games as well who some former neighbours have told Norwegian media had sometimes been seen in
“military-style” clothing.
Also this:
Frank Mersland, a journalist with FVN TV, says Anders Behring Breivik, who has been arrested over yesterday’s attacks, has been linked to the anti-immigration Progress party.
He writes via email: “The suspect, Anders Behring Breivik, has been tagged as a former member of the right winged political party Frp (Progress party). It’s the second largest political party in Norway and their main issues are lower taxes and a much stricter policy on immigration. The Frp-leader, Siv Jensen, verified his membership on Norwegian TV2 a little while ago.”
