Norway massacre

Nationalist fanatic Anders Behring Breivik says he was a “nice guy” until 2006, when he underwent a conscious and self-imposed program of “dehumanization” to prepare for the murder spree that he carried out in Norway last year. Speaking in an Oslo courtroom, Breivik, 33, described how his cold, emotionless persona is carefully constructed and that, although he is capable of empathizing with his many victims, he would “break down mentally” if he were to do so.

Anders Behring Breivik, the confessed mass killer and extreme nationalist who committed terrorist attacks in Norway last year, revealed that he originally planned to set off three separate bombs in Oslo. “There would be three car bombs, followed by a firearm-based action,” he said during his ongoing murder trial in the Norwegian capital.

Anders Behring Breivik, a right-wing extremist accused in Norway’s worst ever mass murder, admitted Monday to killing 77 people in two targeted attacks last July. But Breivik rejected criminal responsibility for his acts, claiming he slaughtered his victims in self defence. Appearing on the first day of an expected 10-week trial, Breivik sported a thin beard and dark suit. He offered the gallery a close-fisted salute before denying that the court had any authority to try him.

Public hearing held on Oslo massacre

What drove Anders Breivik to commit the worst peacetime shooting spree in modern history?

A timeline of Breivik’s activities prior to the attack