On 22 July 2011, Anders Behring Breivik detonated a car bomb in Oslo's government quarter, killing 8, then carried out a mass shooting at a Workers' Youth League (AUF) summer camp on the island of Utøya, killing 69. He was convicted in 2012 and sentenced to 21 years of preventive detention, Norway's maximum sentence.
Oslo after the terror (5988160220) — Credit: nrkbeta · CC BY-SA 2.0
On 22 July 2011, Norway experienced its deadliest attacks since World War II. At 15:25:22 CEST, a car bomb made of fertiliser and fuel oil (ANFO) exploded in Regjeringskvartalet, Oslo's government quarter, near the tower housing the office of Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg. The bomb, estimated at 950 kg and planted in a white Volkswagen Crafter, killed eight people and injured at least 210, twelve severely. Investigators later reported that the perpetrator had additional material stored at a rural farm that could have been used to build a second device.
Less than two hours later, the same individual, dressed in a homemade police uniform and using false identification, traveled by ferry to Utøya island in Tyrifjorden, where the AUF (the youth wing of the Norwegian Labour Party) was holding its annual summer camp, attended by roughly 600 young people. Presenting himself as a police officer conducting a security check, he was met by camp leader Monica Bøsei and security officer Trond Berntsen, both of whom he killed. He then opened fire indiscriminately on camp participants, shooting people on the island and in the water as some tried to escape by swimming. The shooting lasted approximately 90 minutes before he surrendered to a police tactical unit at 18:35. In total, 69 people were killed and 33 were wounded on Utøya; investigators recovered 186 spent shell casings. The youngest victim was 14 years old and the oldest fatalities and survivors came from across Norway and abroad. Local residents in civilian boats rescued dozens of people from the water before police arrived, hampered by a shortage of suitable boats and helicopters.
The perpetrator, Anders Behring Breivik, was arrested on Utøya and charged with terrorism for both attacks. He acknowledged responsibility during interrogation but denied criminal guilt, describing his actions as "atrocious but necessary." An initial forensic psychiatric examination diagnosed him with paranoid schizophrenia and found him criminally insane, but this was disputed, and a second court-ordered examination in 2012 found him sane. His trial ran from 16 April to 22 June 2012 in Oslo District Court. On 24 August 2012, a five-judge panel convicted him as charged and sentenced him to 21 years of preventive detention, with the possibility of indefinite five-year extensions on public-safety grounds, the maximum sentence available under Norwegian law.
Breivik was linked to a 1,518-page document outlining a far-right, anti-Islam, anti-multiculturalism ideology, which he emailed to over 1,000 addresses shortly before the bombing. A government-commissioned inquiry, the 2012 Gjørv Report, concluded that Norwegian police could have prevented the bombing and reached Utøya faster, and recommended reforms to prevent and mitigate future attacks. The attacks prompted widespread domestic mourning, including a national reconvening of parliament, a day of national mourning, and large public gatherings, as well as condemnation from the United Nations, European Union, NATO, and governments worldwide.
Hanne Ekroll Loevlie, Andrine Bakkene Espeland, Jon Vegard Lervag, Trond Berntsen, Anne Lise Holter, Ida Marie Hill, Hanna Endresen, Tove Ashill Knutsen, Sharidyn Svebakk-Bøhn, Kjersti Berg Sand, Monica Bøsei, Kai Hauge
Date
2011
Location
Oslo and Utøya, Norway
Case status
solved
Case timeline
2009-05-18
Breivik establishes the sole proprietorship 'Breivik Geofarm,' later used as cover to acquire bomb-making materials.
2010-08
Breivik travels to Prague in an unsuccessful attempt to illegally purchase firearms.
2010-11
Breivik begins training sessions at the Oslo Pistol Club to qualify for a pistol permit.
2011-04
Breivik relocates to Vålstua farm in Åmot municipality, using his agricultural company to access bomb-making materials.
2011-05-04
Breivik purchases six tonnes of fertiliser through Breivik Geofarm.
2011-07-22
Car bomb explodes in Regjeringskvartalet, Oslo, killing 8 people and injuring at least 210.
2011-07-22
Mass shooting occurs at the AUF summer camp on Utøya island, killing 69 people and wounding 33; the shooter surrenders to police at 18:35.
2011-07-24
Six people are arrested in Oslo on suspicion of connections to the attacks; all are later released.
2011-07-25
Breivik is arraigned and remanded into custody for eight weeks, the first half in solitary confinement.
2011-07-29
Police confirm the final death toll of 77 (8 in Oslo, 69 on Utøya) after a severely wounded victim dies in hospital.
2011-08-01
Norway's parliament holds an extraordinary session to honour the victims.
2012-01
Court approves a second psychiatric examination of Breivik following criticism of the first.
2012-04
Second psychiatric report finds Breivik sane.
2012-04-16
Breivik's trial begins in Oslo District Court.
2012-06-22
Trial concludes.
2012-08-13
Norway's prime minister receives the Gjørv Report concluding police could have prevented the Utøya massacre.
2012-08-24
Breivik is convicted on all charges and sentenced to 21 years of preventive detention, extendable indefinitely.
Best coverage
Titles and descriptions are the creators’ own and may not reflect current legal status; see the dossier above for sourced case facts.
VIDEO
Coffeehouse Crime / 35 min
The Case of Anders Behring Breivik
People
Hanne Ekroll Loevlie
VICTIM
30-year-old killed in the Oslo car bombing.
Andrine Bakkene Espeland
VICTIM
16-year-old victim of the Utøya shooting, killed nearly one hour after the shooting began.
Jon Vegard Lervag
VICTIM
32-year-old killed in the Oslo car bombing.
Anzor Djoukaev
ACQUITTED
17-year-old Utøya survivor and AUF representative who was wrongly arrested and detained for 17 hours on suspicion of being an accomplice; no charges resulted and he was not implicated in the attacks.
Trond Berntsen
VICTIM
Off-duty security officer on Utøya and stepbrother of Norway's crown princess Mette-Marit; the first person shot dead in the Utøya attack.
Anne Lise Holter
VICTIM
51-year-old killed in the Oslo car bombing.
Ida Marie Hill
VICTIM
34-year-old killed in the Oslo car bombing.
Hanna Endresen
VICTIM
61-year-old killed in the Oslo car bombing.
Anders Behring Breivik
CONVICTED
Convicted on 24 August 2012 of the Oslo bombing and Utøya mass shooting; sentenced to 21 years of preventive detention with possible indefinite extensions.
Tove Ashill Knutsen
VICTIM
56-year-old killed in the Oslo car bombing.
Sharidyn Svebakk-Bøhn
VICTIM
14-year-old victim of the Utøya shooting, the youngest person killed.
Kjersti Berg Sand
VICTIM
26-year-old killed in the Oslo car bombing.
Monica Bøsei
VICTIM
Utøya camp leader and island hostess, killed by the perpetrator after becoming suspicious of him.
Kai Hauge
VICTIM
32-year-old killed in the Oslo car bombing.
Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.
Archival records
archival location
Laleh, Nasjonal Minneskonsert 2012
Credit: Flickr-bruker Norwegian Radio Orchestra · CC BY 2.0 · Source
archival location
Norway Trip 2012 (8124979786)
Credit: Neuwieser from Germany · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Source
archival location
Regjeringsbygget 22.7.2011
Credit: Johannesen, Nærings- og handelsdepartementet, https://www.flickr.com/photos/nhd-info/ · CC BY 2.0 · Source
On 22 July 2011, Anders Behring Breivik detonated a car bomb in Oslo's government quarter, killing 8, then carried out a mass shooting at a Workers' Youth League (AUF) summer camp on the island of Utøya, killing 69. He was convicted in 2012 and sentenced to 21 years of preventive detention, Norway's maximum sentence.
Where did the crime happen?
Oslo and Utøya, Norway.
Who was convicted?
Anders Behring Breivik (Convicted on 24 August 2012 of the Oslo bombing and Utøya mass shooting; sentenced to 21 years of preventive detention with possible indefinite extensions.).
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