Saturday 23 July 2011

BBC News - Norway mourns island youth camp and Oslo attacks

Norwegians are mourning the victims of a massacre at an island youth camp and a bombing in the capital Oslo.

At least 85 people died when a gunman opened fire at the Utoeya camp on Friday, hours after a blast in the government quarter killed seven. Another four are missing on the island.

A 32-year-old Norwegian man was charged over both attacks, but police say it is possible another person was involved.

The suspect surrendered when approached by police officers, they said.

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People were falling dead right in front of me”

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Adrian Pracon
Survivor

Police chief Sveinung Sponheim said they took 45 minutes to reach the island, and the gunman was apprehended 45 minutes after that.

Mr Sponheim added that there were still bodies or body parts in buildings damaged by the Oslo blast, which he confirmed was caused by a car bomb.

However, the buildings were currently too fragile and dangerous to search, and there were still undetonated explosives there, the police chief said.

It was possible the total death toll from the two attacks could rise to 98, he said.

Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg comforted victims and relatives alongside King Harald, Queen Sonja and Crown Prince Haakon in the town of Sundvollen near the island.

Mr Stoltenberg said he was "deeply touched" by the meetings.

"We will do whatever we can to give them as much support as possible," he said.

 

BBC News - Norway mourns island youth camp and Oslo attacks

 

King Harald said: "It's now important that we stand together and we support each other and we do not let fear conquer us."

Fertiliser used?

The suspect is reported by local media to have had links with right-wing extremists.

He has been named as Anders Behring Breivik. Police searched his Oslo apartment overnight and are questioning him.

The BBC's Richard Galpin, near the island which is currently cordoned off by police, says that Norway has had problems with neo-Nazi groups in the past but the assumption was that such groups had been largely eliminated and did not pose a significant threat.

Meanwhile a farm supply firm has confirmed selling six tonnes of fertiliser to Mr Breivik, who is reported to have run a farming company. Speculation has been rife that fertiliser could have been used in the Oslo bomb.

The number killed in the island shooting spree, which is among the world's most deadly, had been put at 10 on Friday - but soared overnight. Hundreds of young people had been attending the summer camp organised by the governing Labour Party on Utoeya island.

Eyewitnesses described how a tall, blond man dressed as a policeman opened fire indiscriminately, prompting camp attendees to jump into the water to try to escape the hail of bullets.


Island shooting suspect

Anders Behring Breivik

 

  • Describes himself as a Christian and conservative on Facebook page attributed to him
  • Grew up in Oslo and attended Oslo School of Management
  • Set up farm through which he would have had access to fertiliser - which can also be used to make a bomb

Some of the teenagers were shot at as they tried to swim to safety.

Armed police were deployed to the island but details of the operation to capture the suspect remain unclear. After his arrest he was charged with committing acts of terrorism.

Police say they discovered many more victims after searching the area around the island. They have warned the death toll may rise further as rescue teams continue to scour the waters.

The gunman is reported to have been armed with two weapons, one of them an automatic rifle.

NRK journalist Ole Torp told the BBC the suspect went to the island dressed in a police uniform, asked people to gather round and then started shooting.

The attacks sparked strong international condemnation, with US President Barack Obama expressing his condolences and offering support.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth spoke of her shock and sadness in a letter to King Harald.

The BBC's John Sopel in Oslo says the city is strangely quiet and there is a heavy military presence, with checkpoints around the government quarter.

Officials have urged people to stay at home and avoid central areas of the city.

Map of central Oslo and Utoeya

 

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