Norwegian Shooter Faces Only 21 Years in Prison
A heavily armored vehicle delivered Anders Behring Breivik to the back door of an Oslo courthouse for his first court appearance on Monday. The 32-year-old attacker has been charged with terrorist crimes, an offense that bears a maximum prison sentence of 21 years under Norwegian law, though it can be extended if the convict is deemed a threat to society. Breivik has confessed to the facts of committing the pair of attacks that left 93 dead on Friday but has pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges.
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At the arraignment hearing, prosecutors reportedly asked for an eight week detention period before the trial. According to his lawyer, Breivik made two wishes of his own before his arraignment: for the trial to be made public so that he could explain himself and to be able to wear a uniform to the trial, though it's unclear which kind. The court denied the first wish, saying in a statement, "It is clear that there is concrete information that a public hearing with the suspect present could quickly lead to an extraordinary and very difficult situation in terms of the investigation and security."
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In light of the closed hearing, the judge will release more details about the case on Monday afternoon.
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UPDATE (9:43 a.m.): As expected, Breivik pleaded not guilty to his crimes, saying that Norway's ruling party let it's people down "and the price of treason" is what they paid on Friday. Breivik also complained of "cultural Marxism" taking over the country and referred to his attack as a way "to give a sharp signal to the people." Breivik will be held for eight weeks, without letters or visitors.
