Terror attack in Oslo, Norway

[Kabel]

I think that it will come out that it was apolitical and the work of a four-alarm nutter.

Could be that very well, but taking in account the manifesto he wrote. Also the fact that the camp on the island was from a workers party (sort of leftist) and him being a right-winger (which is only a claim still). He was also part of a larger group. Still, this can swing every way. I'm just really worried that we're going to get caught up in between 'muslim' extremists and 'christian' extremists. I have a very strong opinion about religion in that way in general, but i'll leave that aside. I really feel for the kids on that island, nobody should go through something like that in their entire life. Especially kids... I'm having a hard time sleeping over this, all the people killed on the island and by the bombblast. It's just horrible.

 

[Chas]

OK, so it sort of looks political.

The politics of the insane.

MikeBravo has it right; the perp looks something like a Norwegian Timothy McVeigh.

Unfortunately, it's deuce difficult to prevent this sort of thing from happening; it's happened in many places, and probably will again. What should be interesting to find out is whether he mentioned his ideas or hinted at his plans to family or friends and they didn't call the cops; perhaps thinking that he was just spouting off. People this angry are seldom able to keep their views or ideas to themselves.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

What arouses my suspicion is here we have an individual who ostensibly holds strong anti-Muslim views yet targets his own fellow Norwegians instead of Muslims. Also interesting is that a Jihadist group initially claimed responsibility for the attacks and then denied it. I think we're going to find that there's a lot more to this story than meets the eye.

 

[Woland]

Well, the swine is claiming both this and that.
Fancies himself with grandeur he does, the filthy little man.
Btw; his "Maniphesto" is more or less a cut & paste job on the writings left by the notorious UNA-Bomber.

There is indeed several similarities with the case of Timothy McVeigh.
One similarity would be that both the swine and Timothy McVeigh targeted institutions of government.
The main differenceis that the swine ignited his bomb as a diversion, in order to get on with his real agenda;
the cold-blooded butchery of defenseless children.

There are rumours that the younges victim was 8 years old...

I'll be meeting a surviving youngster later today.
I suspect it will be an intense experience...

 

[Kabel]

There are rumours that the younges victim was 8 years old...

I'll be meeting a surviving youngster later today.
I suspect it will be an intense experience...

I seriously hope you can give that child some proper support and I really respect you for meeting that youngster. Good on you sir!

 

[Zeropositive]

This is such a shock and being in London where we have suffered terror attacks my thoughts and prays are with the victims.

 

[Puzzicato]

Woland, my thought go with your meeting with that poor child. Do your best.

 

[Edward]

Very depressing situation all round - both this dreadful attack and how desperate many corners of the media have been to pin it on The Muslims.

 

[nightandthecity]

I sat in café this morning and read the papers, all that follows is simply taken from what it currently says in the mainstream British press…..

The early claim of responsibility by a Jihadist group was a hoax.

Breivik belongs to a small extreme-Right group who see themselves as a revival of the Knights Templar and he has links to neo-fascist groups in Norway and the UK.

Whilst his manifesto and diary are obsessed with the “threat” of “Islamization” to European culture, he sees European “Marxists” (who he believes dominate the political, media and academic world) as responsible for this and his various other gripes - which explains why he attacked a government building and a Labour Party youth camp rather than an Islamic target (Norway is governed by a “Red-Green” coalition dominated by the Labour party). He apparently envisages the “execution” of most of the European Left but only the “expulsion” of Muslims.

“Islamization” is of course only one of his gripes which include the usual far right targets: socialism, liberalism, feminism, homosexuality etc……as always one is struck by the irony of how similar his values are to those of radical Islamic fundamentalism.

 

[RichardH]

You say not surprising. What do you mean by that?

My reaction was that it was less 9/11 and more Oklahoma City, especially after seeing what was left of the building that was attacked.

I posted that on the same day as the attacks took place. I didn't know that he was an ethnic Norwegian right wing extremist at that point in time..

But the idea that some guy or group might attack Norway wasn't surprising at all. I was more surprised by the fact that the one who did it was anti-islamic rather than anti-western...

 

[Marc Chevalier]

What arouses my suspicion is here we have an individual who ostensibly holds strong anti-Muslim views yet targets his own fellow Norwegians instead of Muslims...

I think we're going to find that this guy resented his fellow Norwegians (the 'liberal' ones, at least) for not ascribing to his views. On a deeper level, he resented that they hadn't been glorifying him. The man wanted to be a celebrity, and now he is one. He "acted out" (as if in a movie) his fantasy, and is watching the aftermath with voyeuristic pleasure.

 

[nightandthecity]

yes, even from my brief perusal of the British press I get the impression of a fantasist. A couple of his self portraits look like movie posters for a Hollywood action blockbuster; and then the whole "Knights Templar" thing.....though the papers seem to be taking this organization seriously I wouldn't be at all surprised to find he was the only member. He seems to have an overdevloped sense of his own superiority too, describing himself as "refined" in comparison to the yokels in the rural area where he planned his atrocities...his example of refinement being Lacoste sweaters, ye gods....!

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

I Was shocked and so sorry to hear about the recent events in Norway, a wonderful country with great people that I have visited. Thinking of you at this difficult time. Steve.

 

[_Nightwing]

What arouses my suspicion is here we have an individual who ostensibly holds strong anti-Muslim views yet targets his own fellow Norwegians instead of Muslims. Also interesting is that a Jihadist group initially claimed responsibility for the attacks and then denied it. I think we're going to find that there's a lot more to this story than meets the eye.

Thank you V.C.!

 

[Edward]

I think we're going to find that this guy resented his fellow Norwegians (the 'liberal' ones, at least) for not ascribing to his views. On a deeper level, he resented that they hadn't been glorifying him. The man wanted to be a celebrity, and now he is one. He "acted out" (as if in a movie) his fantasy, and is watching the aftermath with voyeuristic pleasure.

Pretty obvious, really. Expecting a person who would act in such a way to be at all rational is a mistake. Of course, there will be some quarters of the media who are desperate to blame it on the Easy Target, but I should hope common sense will win out in the end (even if not so far).

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Pretty obvious, really.

Yep. No revelations to be found here, IMO. Just your garden-variety homicidal psychopath.

 

[Rats Riley]

Agreed.

Any where from the fact that Mommy and Daddy didn't love me or give me enough attention, to the people at the office think I'm a nut. Now is my big movie moment and I'm going to show everyone how important I can be.

However it always involves innocent people and those who love them being hurt. Now I have weapons and a plan to TAKE the attention and somehow BE the focal point of the world's attention. Even if it's only for the blink of an eye, now because of the damage he has done there will always be people that know his name.

Makes me sick

 

[Marc Chevalier]

The worst thing anyone can do to this man is to ignore him. No eyes for his 'action-movie' poses and 'heroic' manifestos; no ears for his grandstanding justifications.


It was good (and poetically just) to hear that Anders Breivik "... has been silenced by the court today, despite his request that the media be present at his hearing so that he could explain to the whole world why he did it ... the court released a statement saying, 'Based on information in the case, the court finds that today’s detention hearing should be held behind closed doors.'"

 

[Chas]

Very glad to hear that the court agreed to the police's request for a media blackout. His manifesto should go straight into the shredder.

Starting to see something like a pattern, here. The nutters certainly love taking pictures of themselves with their guns.

 

[DanielJones]

What makes me wonder is what his financial situations is. I'm guessing Norway doesn't have a death penalty, but instead incarcerates criminals of this magnitude for 21 years, and more if they deem it necessary, like if they thought he may still pose a threat. So a person like him knowing this, let's just speculate, that he is in financial straights. He's going to hit the skids and be on the streets. Yeah, he has a manifesto and spouts all his dogma for a while, and figures that an atrocious act like this will put him in prison for a long time. Make it big so he can get the maximum sentence. He now has a roof over his head, clothes on his back and three meals a day. Living fairly comfortable (so to speak) for 21+/- years.

I know it sounds horrible in light of the deaths, I apologize. But it is one possible scenario that came to mind for this character.

Cheers!

Dan