As the news began to trickle in from Norway on Friday, an anti-government pattern quickly emerged. The bombing outside the prime minister's headquarters in Oslo was soon followed by a shooting rampage at an island hosting a youth camp for the PM's Labour Party. Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, who had been working from home that day and was unscathed, had been scheduled to speak to the teens, so was it a mangled assassination attempt? Norway had earned radical Muslims' ire through its efforts against al-Qaeda-inspired offshoots, so was it Islamic terrorism? The fact that the shooter was blond didn't put those fears to rest as al-Qaeda has put extra efforts on recruiting Europeans who would arouse less suspicion. But when the smoke cleared, the attack in which 93 people were killed (and police say more are still missing) was more like Oklahoma City than the World Trade Center.
Anders Behring Breivik, 32, published an online 1,516-page manifesto titled "2083 - A European Declaration of Independence" on Friday, detailing his right-wing militant views, nationalist support and opposition to immigration in his home country. The Oslo native was arrested after killing dozens of teens at the youth camp, after it took an astounding 90 minutes for police to arrive. He claimed his attacks were "atrocious, but necessary" to spark a revolution with the intent to stop the immigration policies that were furthering the spread of Islam. Breivik said via lawyer that he'll explain his actions in further detail at a Monday hearing.
"Once you decide to strike, it is better to kill too many than not enough, or you risk reducing the desired ideological impact of the strike," he wrote in the manifesto. It wasn't all his original work -- he plagiarized from other sources including the Unabomber's manifesto.
Breivik has claimed responsibility for the attacks but is expected to plead not guilty Monday, in a statement that's expected to include his excuses for justification. But the investigation is far from over, the Guardian notes:
Although Breivik told officers he had acted alone, Norwegian police are investigating whether he received help during the attacks. Surgeons, meanwhile, confirmed he used "dum-dum" bullets designed to disintegrate inside the body and cause maximum internal damage.
Oslo's acting police chief, Sveinung Sponheim, said they were investigating witness statements from the island that spoke of more than one gunman.
A Norwegian investigator added: "Our priority at the moment is to establish whether he [Breivik] operated alone."
Counter-terrorism police raided a flat owned by Breivik in eastern Osloon Sunday and arrested six people. They were released without charge.
As more details emerged of Breivik's possible affiliations with British extremists, the authorities were investigating whether he had travelled to London to plot his rightwing "crusade".
European security sources confirmed they were investigating claims that Breivik and other far-right individuals attended the inaugural meeting of the far-right Knights Templar group in London in 2002. They said there had been increased internet chatter from individuals claiming they belonged to the Knights Templar, an organisation referred to by Breivik in a 1,500-page manifesto published online hours before he began his killing spree.
IN PICTURES: Norway reels from twin attacks
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