Breivik takes stand on 3rd day of trial

2012-04-18 10:58

Accused Norwegian Anders Behring Breivik gestures on arrival at the courtroom, in Oslo, Norway. (Lise Aserud, Scanpix Norway/AP)

Oslo - Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in Norway last July, took the stand again on Wednesday on the third day of his trial, a day after telling the court he would carry out his attacks again if he could.

The 33-year-old right-wing extremist, wearing a black suit and black and white striped tie, again made what he has described as a far-right salute after his handcuffs were removed, touching his chest and extending his clenched right fist in front of him.

Five and a half days have been allotted to his testimony, but Breivik told the court on Tuesday he really only needed an hour - in fact it took him 73 minutes - to detail his Islamophobic and anti-multicultural ideology, which he says explains why his attacks were "cruel but necessary".

Reading from a prepared text, Breivik said he had bombed government buildings in Oslo before shooting down 69 people - most of them teenagers - on the nearby Utoya Island to defend "ethnic Norwegians" from rising multiculturalism, insisting he "would have done it again".

The confessed killer has claimed "legitimate defence", and rejected any criminal guilt.

On Tuesday, he told the court he had toned down his rhetoric and tried to play down his earlier antics, explaining he was intent on proving his sanity and showing his comprehensive ideology was not the rantings of a lunatic.

If found sane, Breivik risks a 21-year jail term, which could then be extended indefinitely if he is still considered a threat to society. If found insane he could be sentenced to closed psychiatric care, possibly for life.

Two psychiatric evaluations have drawn contradictory conclusions on his sanity, and ultimately it will be up to the judges to rule on them when they reach their verdict sometime in mid-July.

- SAPA