Norway shooter Anders Breivik ruled sane, sentenced to 21 years in prison
Anders Behring Breivik, the man who killed 77 people in a bomb attack and gun rampage just over a year ago, was judged to be sane Friday by a Norwegian court, as he was sentenced to 21 years in prison.
Entrance during the trial of Anders Behring Breivik, massive media attention during the trial. Photo/Ulflarsen
Breivik was charged with voluntary homicide and committing acts of terror in the attacks in Oslo and on Utoya Island on July 22, 2011.
The issue of Breivik’s sanity, on which mental health experts have given conflicting opinions, was central to the court’s ruling.
Breivik, who boasts of being an ultranationalist who killed his victims to fight multiculturalism in Norway, wanted to be ruled sane so that his actions wouldn’t be dismissed as those of a lunatic.
He says he acted out of “necessity” to prevent the “Islamization” of his country.
He was sentenced to the maximum possible term of 21 years and was ordered to serve a minimum of 10 years in prison. The time he has already spent in prison counts toward the term.
The sentence could be extended, potentially indefinitely, in the future if he is considered still to pose a threat to society. Norway does not have the death penalty.
Bjorn Ihler, a survivor of the Utoya Island attack, told CNN he was glad the trial had concluded and that justice had been done.
“It’s been an amazingly difficult process. It’s been a constant, constant reminder of why we have to fight extremism in every way possible,” he said of the trial.
“We have to make sure nothing like this ever happens again.”
