In 2011, Anders Behring Breivik shocked the world. He first detonated a car bomb, which killed nearly 10 people, before shooting about 70 people right after. The convicted mass murderer is now applying for an early release from prison. The verdict has not been made public yet, but let us take a look at how Anders Breivik ended up behind bars.
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Anders Breivik committed mass murder in Norway
On 22 July 2011, Anders Behring Breivik became famous worldwide for his atrocities. The then-32-year-old man first detonated a car bomb. This killed eight people in Oslo's government district. Following the crime, he shot and killed a further 69 people on the island of Utøya, most of them young people attending a holiday summer camp there.
For these acts, he was sentenced to the maximum penalty in Norway. He was sentenced to 21 years of preventive detention, with a minimum term of ten years. On the one hand, this means that the period of detention can be extended after the 21 years if Breivik continues to be classified as dangerous.
He is applying for early release after 13 years in prison
On the other hand, the minimum term of imprisonment also means that the prisoner - in this case the now 45-year-old mass murderer - can apply for early release after this minimum term has expired. And in the event of a rejection, he can do so several times.
In 2022, Breivik, who was convicted in 2012, applied for early release for the first time. However, this was rejected. Neither the public prosecutor's office nor the judges were convinced that the prisoner was any less dangerous or that his right-wing extremist and Islamophobic views had changed.
Anders Breivik, who now calls himself Fjotolf Hansen, has again applied for early release on parole. What is new this time is that external psychological experts have examined the case and prepared an expert opinion on whether the mass murderer should be classified as mentally ill or mentally incompetent.
Negotiations concluded - verdict still pending
The experts submitted their 100-page report to the court and the hearings took place from November 19 to 21, 2024. A verdict is still pending, but it is likely that the request will be rejected.
According to the expert opinion, the convicted assassin could not be classified as insane or mentally ill. And the public prosecutor's office had also spoken out against his early release from the outset:
In the clear opinion of the public prosecutor's office, the application should not be granted. There is no perpetrator in Norway who has committed such serious acts. Not even looking back in time.
This article has been translated from Oh!MyMag DE.
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Sources used:
Berliner Tagesspiegel: Convicted right-wing terrorist in Norway: Prosecutor clearly against Breivik's release from prison
Time: Terror attack on Utøya: Norwegian mass murderer Breivik not mentally ill according to expert opinion
