Norway attacks shock, disgust Europe

BERLIN — The attacks in Oslo on Friday have riveted new attention on right-wing extremists not just in Norway but across Europe, where opposition to Muslim immigrants, globalization, the power of the European Union and the drive toward multiculturalism has proven a potent political force and, in a few cases, a spur to violence.


The success of populist parties appealing to a sense of lost national identity has brought criticism of minorities, immigrants and in particular Muslims out of the beer halls and Internet chat rooms and into mainstream politics. While the parties themselves generally do not condone violence, some experts say a climate of hatred in the political discourse has encouraged violent individuals.


“I’m not surprised when things like the bombing in Norway happen, because you will always find people who feel more radical means are necessary,” said Joerg Forbrig, an analyst at the German Marshall Fund in Berlin who has studied far-right issues in Europe. “It literally is something that can happen in a number of places and there are broader problems behind it.”


Last November a Swedish man was arrested in the southern city of Malmö in connection with more than a dozen unsolved shootings of immigrants, including one fatality. The shootings, nine of which took place between June and October 2010, appeared to be the work of an isolated individual. More broadly in Sweden, though, the far-right Sweden Democrats experienced new success at the polls. The party entered Parliament for the first time after winning 5.7 percent of the vote in the general election last September.


President Obama called Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg to express personally and on behalf of the American people his deepest condolences for the dozens of innocent Norwegians killed and injured in what he called the "senseless attacks" in Oslo and Utoya Island, the White House said Saturday.
The U.N. Security Council members also issued a statement in which they "condemned in the strongest terms the terrorist incidents in Norway, calling "terrorism in all its forms and manifestations ... one of the most serious threats to international peace and security."
Germany's top Jewish leader also highlighted the need to fight extremism.
"As a group that itself is always threatened by hatred, fanaticism and terrorism, we can identify particularly with the terrible loss of Norwegian society," Dieter Graumann said, German news agency dapd reported.
Austria's opposition Freedom Party, which has drawn criticism in the past for anti-immigration and anti-Islamic rhetoric, condemned the attacks sharply. "It is absolutely abhorrent how young people were systematically killed," general secretary Harald Vilimsky said, according to the Austria Press Agency.
Pope Benedict XVI said in a condolence message to Norway's King Harald V that he was "profoundly saddened" by the great loss of life caused by the "senseless violence" in the bombing and the following massacre.
The pope invoked God's peace on the dead and offered "fervent" prayers for the victims and their families.
Earlier Saturday, the pope's envoy to Norway Archbishop Paul Tscherrig said Roman Catholics would be praying for the victims and remembering the dead at Sunday Mass.
European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek expressed shock at the targeting of youths at a political party camp.
"This is an unimaginable tragedy for the families who lost their loved ones, young people at the outset of their adult life, fascinated with public service," he said. "It's shocking how one can inflict so much evil."
Pakistan, which has been a frequent target of attacks by Islamic extremists, said its president and prime minister "strongly condemned" the attacks.
"Pakistan itself has suffered enormously from terrorist attacks and fully empathizes with the government and the people of Norway," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Closer to home, Finland's European affairs minister, Alexander Stubb, said that "when I see what happened in Norway I just want to cry."
"It just feels so wrong," Stubb wrote on Twitter. "Wish I could give Norway a big hug."
Other leaders condemning the attacks in Norway included Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. In a statement, Venezuela's Foreign Ministry said Chavez "extends his message of solidarity and hope to all the relatives and friends of the victims, to the Norwegian people and their authorities in this painful moment.

Amy Winehouse: "I'll be dead in a ditch, on fire

Amy Winehouse, the British singer who found worldwide fame with a smoky, hip-hop-inflected take on retro soul, yet became a tabloid fixture as her problems with drugs and alcohol brought about a strikingly public career collapse, was found dead on Saturday in her home in London. She was 27.

The cause was not immediately known. The London police said they had been called to an address in Camden Square in northern London on Saturday afternoon and found a 27-year-old woman, and pronounced her dead at the scene. The police did not identify the body, but the London Ambulance Service said it was that of Winehouse, the Associated Press reported.

The police said that they were investigating the circumstances of the death, but that "at this early stage it is being treated as unexplained."

Instantly recognizable from the heavy makeup and high beehive hairdo she borrowed from the Ronettes, Winehouse became one of the most acclaimed young singers of the 2000s, selling millions of albums, winning five Grammy Awards and kicking off the British trend of retro soul and R&B that continues today.

Yet from the moment she arrived on the international pop scene in 2007, Winehouse had an image that seemed almost defiantly self-destructive. In songs like "You Know I’m No Good," she sang alcohol-soaked regrets of failed romances, and for many listeners the lyrics to the song "Rehab" — which won her three of the five Grammys she received in 2008 — crystallized her public persona. "They tried to make me go to rehab," she sang, "I said, ‘No, no, no.’"

Those songs were from her second album, "Back to Black," which was released in Britain in late 2006 and in the United States in 2007. Her first, "Frank," had established her as a budding star in Britain. But "Back in Black," recorded with the producers Mark Ronson and Salaam Remi, made her an international sensation, with a darkly stylish update on the sound of classic 1960s R&B that was admired by critics and the public alike.

You've said you admire Dean Martin. He got to the point where people expected a certain image, so when he wasn't drinking, he had to have colored water in his glass.

No, it was the opposite -- the other way around. He started out with colored water, and then in the end he did start drinking like that."

Do you ever feel like you'll let people down if they expect this raconteur who's wild and you don't deliver?

A: "No. If someone goes 'Amy, let me buy you tequila,' and I'm like 'No, no, I'm not drinking,' if they ask why, I always say that I'm on antibiotics. Because I'm ashamed to just go, 'You know, I'm just not drinking.' I have to say that I'm on a course of medication, because I feel ashamed (about abstaining)."

The label went with another single before "Rehab," and I wondered if it's because they were nervous because Americans are conflicted with our attitudes about consumption.

I don't know. Everyone knows that there's certain things that aren't good for you, but there's a fine line between enjoying yourself and being completely healthy. Or do you know what I mean? You can only be healthy to a point, where you're not having fun anymore. Does that make sense?"

Q: With the first album ("Frank"), you said you were in a defensive mode when you wrote that, more so than the second album ("Back to Black"). The second album, you wanted to write about consuming love and not be in that defensive posture. Do I have that right?

Yeah, it's a lot less defensive. And it's very all or nothing. When I did the first album, I was smoking loads of weed, and I had that whole mentality of 'you don't know me, I don't need you, you don't love me, fuck you.' And when I wrote the second album, I was listening to a lot of pure '60s music, a lot of jukebox stuff -- and I was drinking a lot, which is a lot more of a depressive substance than weed.

"So my mentality flipped from 'Yeah, I don't need you, I'm gonna smoke a joint, I don't care' to listening to the jukebox and (sadly) standing with a drink.

Norway killing:Muslims feel sting of initial blame

OSLO — With at least 92 dead and a suspect in custody, Norwegians trying to make sense of the bombing and shooting attacks here turned repeatedly Saturday to the one example that seemed to fit: the Oklahoma City bombing.

Here, as there, a quick assumption that Muslims were at fault proved to be erroneous. Norwegians now know that a 32-year-old Christian, who railed against multiculturalism, is the principal and perhaps only suspect in the killings that occurred Friday in Oslo and at an island nearby. His name is Anders Behring Breivik; police say he has admitted to the shootings. A Norwegian newspaper reported that he had recently bought a large quantity of fertilizer, which can be used to make bombs — as the Oklahoma City bomber, Timothy Mc­Veigh, showed in 1995.

According to Web postings he apparently wrote, Breivik has lived on the margins of Norway’s extreme right wing, a movement that has been in decline for at least a decade. The writings denounce politicians in general for betraying the nation — but offer no hint of violence.

The country of 4.5 million was plunged into grief Saturday, especially because more than 80 of the victims were teenagers attending a Labor Party camp on the island of Utoya. Oslo was hushed, even though thousands came out on the streets, whether out of curiosity or in solidarity. As soft showers fell, the loudest sound was of workmen sweeping up broken glass.

“This is still our city,” said Knut Aafloey, a leader of the Norwegian Artists and Songwriters Association. “People want to be close to where it happened.”

Then Anders Behring Breivik, described by police as a "right-wing Christian fundamentalist," was arrested in connection with the attacks.

Within the Muslim community, there was a sigh of relief that it wasn't someone connected with their religion, but also a sting at being initially scapegoated — not unlike what occurred immediately after the Oklahoma City bombing by right-wing American extremists in 1995.

"This is predictable and something that we have come to expect, but it is sad," said Safaa Zarzour, secretary general of the Islamic Society of North America. "For most Muslims, it is a confirmation of how they already feel, that they are guilty until proven innocent."

He said despite the perception of Muslims being always at odds with others, the fight is actually between the mainstream and the extreme of every religion.

Farhana Khera, executive director of Muslim Advocates, worried that the impulse to blame Muslims could lead to further inflaming anti-Muslim sentiment and fueling platforms built upon the demonization of her community.

"I really view it as a wake-up call," Khera said. "Violence comes from all groups, and singling out one faith community as a target, as much of our society appears to have done, makes us more vulnerable."

Also worrisome to Muslim groups is the double standard they see with the use of the word "terrorism."

When attackers are not Muslim, the attack often is not given the "terrorism" label, Khera said, and people think, " 'Oh well, it is an isolated incident, or it is a deranged gunman,' whereas in the case of a Muslim, there is an immediate impulse to understand the person's faith or ideology," she said.

Unrelated to the Norway attacks, the Muslim Public Affairs Council on Friday had released a statement on how counter-terrorism trainers who use hate speech directed at Muslims ultimately hurt American national security. IAfter the Norwegian tragedy, when some news media were quick to quote terrorism experts who suggested involvement by Muslims, MPAC said the statement was especially relevant.

Police: island shooter fired for 90 minutes

OSLO, Norway -- Police say the suspect in the bombing and shooting spree in Norway has admitted to some of the things he is accused of.

Police Chief Sveinung Sponheim also told reporters in Oslo on Saturday that the man surrendered immediately upon the arrival of police on an island where he opened fire.

At least 87 people were killed on the island Friday. Another seven died in an earlier bombing in Oslo.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

SUNDVOLLEN, Norway (AP) - The Norwegian man suspected in a bombing and shooting spree that killed at least 92 people bought six tons of fertilizer before the massacre, the supplier said Saturday as police investigated witness accounts of a second shooter.

That shooting spree came just hours after an explosion at a government building in Oslo on Friday. Police Chief Sveinung Sponheim said Saturday that blast was caused by a car bomb.

At least 87 people were killed on the island.

Another seven died in the earlier bombing.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

OSLO, Norway (AP) — Police say the suspect in a shooting rampage on a Norwegian island has admitted firing weapons there.

Police Chief Sveinung Sponheim said Saturday the male suspect — who is in custody — has been in a "dialogue" with police but that the interrogations are difficult.

At least 87 people were killed on the island on Friday.

Seven people died earlier Friday in a bombing in central Oslo that police also have linked to the suspect. They said Saturday it was caused by a car bomb.

Who is Anders Behring Breivik? Norway shooting suspect's profile

Man described Saturday how he played dead in order to survive the shooting spree of a gunman who pretended to be a police officer but then opened fired on youth at a camp on an island near Oslo.

Adrian Pracon, 21, an official with the Worker's Youth League, told the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten that he was on his way to a kiosk on Utoya Island, where the annual camp was being held, to buy chocolate and potato chips when he heard the ruckus.

"I did not realize that it was a shot at first, but then people started to run," Pracon, 21, told Aftenposten.

Many of the youth fled in panic across a clearing trying to reach their tents, Pracon said. But the gunman, who was "cool and controlled," went around "systematically" shooting those in the tents, and others who ran down to the water, Pracon told the newspaper. "It was as though he had done this kind of thing before, as if going round and shooting people was totally normal," Pracon said. "He said, 'You're all going to die.' "

Pracon said he and others gathered at the water's edge hoping that help would come. But the attacker tracked them down.

"He shot everyone in the group, one by one," the youth league leader told Aftenposten. "I lay on the ground and played dead. He came up to check that everyone was dead. He … was so close that I felt the warmth of his weapon."

Anders Behring Breivik, a 32-year-old Norwegian national, claims to be a fan of Winston Churchill, classical music, and gory movies like, "300," and "Gladiator," on his Facebook page.

He also claims on the page to be a fan of the sappy HBO vampire drama, "True Blood," and the serial killer show, "Dexter."

Breivik, who was reportedly a Free Mason at one time, has been fingered for the dual attacks that claimed more than 7 lives in the capitol of Oslo, and 80 campers on the island youth retreat of Utoya.

Authorities are still trying to decipher the motive for Friday's coordinated killings, but a rough portrait of Breivik as a politically-engaged man with strong views has emerged.

The youth camp on the island of Utoya is reportedly owned by the Norwegian Labor Party, while the Oslo bomb blast was outside a government office.

The shooter belongs to "right-wing circles" in Oslo, the city in which he resides, according to Norwegian TV2. Meanwhile, The Huffington Post cites the Swedish news site Expressen as saying that he is a "self-described nationalist who has also written a number of posts critical of Islam."

He studied at the Oslo Commerce School, an instituion devoted to business and financial management.

In published photos, the alleged killer is shown to don a half smile, preppy clothing, and piercing green eyes that stare into the camera.

The Huffington Post goes on to cite a Twitter account for Breivik, in which he chillingly quotes the philosopher John Stuart Mill, saying, "One person with a belief is equal to the force of 100,000 who have only interests." The tweet was posted on July 17 and was the only one attributed to the account.

Breivik may have used a front company, Breivik Geofarm, he founded in 2009 as an excuse to legally stockpile large quantities of fertilizer and other chemicals which he could have used to build the bombs, according to Norwegian news stations.

Norway island survivors: screams, shots and death

People in Norway are in shock today after a man dressed as a police officer is suspected of shooting and killing at least 85 at a summer youth camp Friday, just hours after setting off an explosion in nearby Oslo that killed seven.

Officials initially reported that at least 10 people were killed at the youth camp on the island of Utoya but later increased the death toll after more bodies were found, according to the Associated Press.

Officials said that the death toll could still rise.

Norwegian police have arrested a Norwegian man for the attacks.

Police would not confirm the identity of the suspect but said they have charged him with acts of terrorism.

The man is believed to be responsible for both attacks.

TV2, Norway's largest broadcaster, was among several local media outlets that identified the suspect as Anders Behring Breivik, 32.

Breivik is described as a member of "right-wing extremist groups in eastern Norway," and a farmer.

The killer, dressed as a policeman, "would tell people to come over: 'It's OK, you're safe, we're coming to help you.' And then I saw about 20 people come toward him and he shot them at close range," he said.

Kursetgjerde said he ran and hid between cliffs, then swam out into the lake and nearly drowned. "Someone (in a boat) rescued me. They saved my life."

"This lasted for hours," Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere told a news conference, describing the killings on the island northwest of Oslo where about 600 young people had gathered.

A 32-year-old Norwegian was arrested after 85 people died in the island shootings, on top of the seven killed in the earlier bomb blast.

"I saw he had a handgun," Thorbjoern Vereive, 22, told Reuters. "Some people said he also had something that looked like a rifle."

"When I swam out into the water he shot all my friends. He shot them when they were running away. I hid in a cave and had to lie in the water. There were people hiding in the cave and he tried to lure people out by saying, 'It's safe, come out.'"

"He picked them out, one by one. He was mostly silent. It looked like it didn't bother him."

"He tried to shoot me and I saw the bullet pass right next to me. I thought I was going to die."

Another youth, Dana Barzingi, described the massacre to state broadcaster NRK. "It was a bloodbath. There was nowhere to flee, only the water, and when people tried to swim away he just shot them."

"He kept coming," said Barzingi. "He went around and around pretending to be a rescue worker and said people should come to get help. Then he shot them."

NRK showed blurred pictures taken from a helicopter of a man, apparently in police uniform, standing with his arm outstretched amid numerous victims, some prone on the rocky shore, others floating in the water.

Norway Shooting, Explosion: 92 Killed, Suspect

85 people died when a gunman opened fire at the Utoeya camp on Friday, hours after a blast in the government quarter killed seven.

Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg has comforted relatives of victims alongside the Norwegian king and warned there could be yet more casualties.

A 32-year-old Norwegian man has been charged over both attacks.

Many people were still looking for their children and had not so far been able to locate them, PM Stoltenberg said after meeting victims and relatives with 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.

Earlier he said that he was due to have been on Utoeya - "a youth paradise turned into a hell" - a few hours after the attack took place.

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 man is believed to be responsible for both attacks.

TV2, Norway's largest broadcaster, was among several local media outlets that identified the suspect as Anders Behring Breivik, 32.

Breivik is described as a member of "right-wing extremist groups in eastern Norway," and a farmer.

Police said the investigation is still open and they are trying to determine an exact motive and whether he was working with anyone.

More information about the suspect emerged today as an agricultural material supplier told police that the man purchased at least six tons of fertilizer several weeks prior to the twin attacks, the Associated Press reported. Fertilizer could be used to make bombs.

"This is beyond comprehension. It's a nightmare. It's a nightmare for those who have been killed, for their mothers and fathers, family and friends," Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg told reporters early today.

Just hours before the shooting at a summer youth camp run by Norway's ruling party on the island of Utoya, explosions ripped through a government building in the capital city of Oslo and left at least seven people dead.

The suspect had been seen in Oslo earlier in the day, according to media reports.

Youth Camp Shooting

After blasts rocked Oslo, the shore of a once idyllic lake at Utoya became a horrific triage area.

"The guy was dressed as a policeman and he was trying to ensure that he was helping us and he said, 'come here,'" said witness Jorgen Benone. "He had a rifle or a sniper which he was using to shoot at us. It was total chaos."

Many tried to swim to safety but the gunman armed with several weapons was able to shoot them as they swam.

Bodies after bodies were pulled from the lake.

The boats and helicopters couldn't move the dead and injured fast enough.

"People were jumping out of windows and running everywhere in all directions - terrified for their lives," said Benone. "Most people ran towards the water hiding behind stones and small hills."

Adrian Pracon, a 21-year-old district secretary, says shooting victims were falling on top of him on the island.

He said he played dead in order to save his own life.

"I feel his breath, I could feel his boots, I could the warmth from the barrel but I didn't move and that's what saved my life.

Norway attacks suspect

Blond-haired 32-year-old appears to have set up accounts on the social networking sites Facebook and Twitter just a few days ago.

Although police have not officially named Breivik as the suspect, Norwegian media identified him as the gunman. Police say the suspect is talking to police and was keen to "explain himself".

Eyewitness reports from the island of Utoya, where the shootings took place, have also described a tall, blond haired, blue-eyed Norwegian man dressed as a police officer.

On the Facebook page attributed to him, Breivik describes himself as a Christian and a conservative. It listed his interests as hunting, body building and freemasonry. His profile also listed him as single. The page has since been taken down.

Police chief Svinung Sponheim said that internet posting by Breivik suggested he has "some political traits directed toward the right, and anti-Muslim views.

He is believed to have grown up in Oslo and studied at the Oslo School of Management, which offers degrees and postgraduate courses.

Government business records show him as the sole director of Breivik Geofarm, a company Norwegian media is describing as a farming sole proprietorship.

The company was set up to cultivate vegetables, melons, roots and tubers, Norway's TV2 says, and speculation in local media is rife that through such a link he may have had access to fertiliser, an ingredient used in bomb-making.

The Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang quoted a friend as saying that the suspect turned to right-wing extremism when in his late 20s. The paper also said that he participated in online forums expressing strong nationalistic views.

A Twitter account attributed to the suspect has also emerged but it only has one post, which is a quote from philosopher John Stuart Mill: "One person with a belief is equal to the force of 100,000 who have only interests.

Anders Behring Breivik

Anders Behring Breivik,  is a Norwegian citizen, and the suspected perpetrator of the 2011 Norway attacks, although it is yet unknown if he acted alone. On 22 July 2011, he allegedly approached a Labour Party youth camp on Utøya island, posing as a police officer, and then indiscriminately opened fire on the adolescents present, reportedly killing at least 84. He has also been linked with the bomb blasts which had taken place approximately two hours earlier in Oslo. He was arrested on Utøya, and is currently in police custody. Following his apprehension, Breivik was characterized by officials as being a conservative right-wing extremist. According to Reuters and the BBC, deputy police chief Roger Andresen described the suspect as a "Christian fundamentalist.

Breivik studied at the Oslo Commerce School, and is described by newspaper Verdens Gang as conservative and nationalist. He is also a former member of the Progress Party (FrP) and its youth wing FpU. According to the current FpU leader Ove Vanebo, Breivik was active early in the 2000s, but he left the party as his viewpoints became more extreme. He expresses his sympathies for Winston Churchill, Geert Wilders and Norwegian anti-Nazi World War II hero Max Manus on his alleged Facebook profile.

According to the newspaper VG, he has no previous history with the police, apart from traffic violations. According to the same source, Breivik has a Glock pistol, a rifle and a shotgun registered to his name. Breivik moved in late June or early July to the rural small town of Rena in Åmot, Hedmark county, about 140 km (86 miles) northeast of Oslo, where he operated a farming sole proprietorship under the name "Breivik Geofarm. It has been speculated that he could have used the company as a cover legally to obtain large amounts of artificial fertilizer and other chemicals for the manufacturing of fertilizer explosives. According to Reuters, a farming supplier had sold the Breivik 6 tonnes of fertilizer in May.

87 dead in mass shooting, bombing in Norway

OSLO: Twin shooting and bomb attacks left at least 87 dead as a Norwegian gunman disguised as a policeman opened fire at a youth camp and a bomb blast tore through government buildings in downtown Oslo.

"We have confirmation that at least 80 people are dead. We do not exclude a higher toll," said police spokesman Are Frykholm speaking of the shooting spree a summer school meeting of Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg's ruling Labour Party on Utoeya, an island outside the capital.

Police had earlier confirmed that seven people were killed as a powerful bomb ripped through central Oslo -- where the prime minister's office and several government buildings are located -- and nine were critically injured.

A 32-year-old Norwegian was arrested after the shooting spree. According to the TV2 channel, he has links to right-wing extremists and possessed two weapons registered in his name.

Stoltenberg said the culprits would not intimidate one of Europe's most peaceful countries.

"People have lived through a nightmare that very few of us can imagine," he said. "The coming days will show who is responsible and what kind of punishment they will get.

"The message to whoever attacked us, the message from all of Norway is that you will not destroy us, you will not destroy our democracy and our ideals for a better world."

The United States and European leaders immediately denounced the attacks and vowed solidarity with NATO member Norway -- an enthusiastic participant in international military missions that has forces in Afghanistan and is participating in Western air strikes in Libya.

Stoltenberg had been due to give a speech on Saturday to the 560 people attending the youth camp on the island.

Witnesses described scenes of panic and horror after the gunman, who police said was disguised as a police officer but never worked for the police force, opened fire on the youth gathering.

Today, free government was attacked, freedom of association was attacked, the spirit of youth was attacked. But we will kick back and say that these are values that are dear to us, and we intend to defend them and Norway will be recognizable tomorrow as the Norway our friends and partners around the world have known so far."

Oslo Mayor Stang said it was a "terrible day" for Norwegians.

Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg was not in his office at the time of the blast and was not hurt, officials said.

Afterward, he had a message to whoever may have been responsible: "You won't destroy us," he said. "You won't destroy our democracy. We are a small but proud nation. No one can bomb us to silence. No one can scare us from being Norway. This evening and tonight, we'll take care of each other. That's what we do best when attacked."

Nick Soubiea, an American-Swedish tourist in Oslo, said he was fewer than 100 yards from the blast, which he described as deafening. "It was almost in slow motion, like a big wave that almost knocked us off our chairs," he told CNN. "It was extremely frightening."

Several buildings in Oslo were on fire, smoke billowing from them, he said.

One explosion appeared to have occurred on an upper floor of a main government building; every window on the side of the building had been blown out.

The blast also damaged the Oil Ministry, which caught fire.

In brief remarks to reporters from the Oval Office, U.S. President Barack Obama extended his condolences to the victims of the violence in Norway, saying the incidents are "a reminder that the entire international community has a stake in preventing this kind of terror from occurring."

Heide Bronke, a U.S. State Department spokeswoman, said Washington was monitoring the situation but did not have any word of U.S. casualties.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague also condemned the attacks.

"We condemn all acts of terrorism," he said. "The UK stands shoulder to shoulder with Norway and all our international allies in the face of such atrocities."

British Ambassador to Norway, Jane Owen, told CNN she was working in the embassy when she felt the blast three miles away. "The whole building shook here in the embassy," she said. "It was quite a sizeable explosion and a huge shock. ... The results demonstrate that it was a very large bomb."

She added, "As we have all experienced, you can never be totally prepared for the horror and the tragedy that unfolds when you do have a major terrorist incident and that is, unfortunately, what the people of Oslo and Norway are now having to cope with."

Stoltenberg, who has been prime minister since October 2005, heads a coalition government comprising the Labour Party, the Socialist Left Party and the Centre Party.

Norwegian Shooters,Medal

Norwegian Association of International Shooters Medal is a marksmanship medal awarded by Norway.

Rifle shooting is conducted 300 meters from a 1.5-meter target or 200 meters from a 1-meter standard international target. The target must be graded by Norwegian range personnel.

Weapons Class A,Precision rifle

Program:

3 shots in each position (standing/kneeling)

A total of 6 shots constitutes a trial.

Main shooting:

10 shots lying down in 3 minutes.

10 shots kneeling in 4 minutes.

A total of 20 shots in 7 minutes.

Weapons Class B

Standard military rifle with open sights

Program:

3 shots in each position (standing/kneeling)

A total of 6 shots constitutes a trial.

Main shooting:

10 shots lying down in 3 minutes.

10 shots kneeling in 4 minutes.

A total of 20 shots in 7 minutes.

Targets are to be marked after each series.

Administrative

The protocol requires that scores be entered by both the unit commander and the shooting instructor. The instructor maintains the records.

Scale Class A (Precision Rifle)

Golden medal class A: 185 points

Silver medal class A: 170 points

Bronze medal class A: 160 points

Scale Class B (Standard Army Rifle)

Golden medal class B: 175 points

Silver medal class B: 160 points

Bronze medal class B: 150 points


Tags:Suspect Anders Behring Breivik ,Anders Behring Breivik ,87 dead in mass shooting ,
Norway horror ,80 Dead Norway Shooting ,Norwegian literature ,Culture of Norway ,Communist Workers League ,Religion in Norway ,Norway Immigration ,Transport in Norway ,Law enforcement in Norway ,Norway ,Norway Shootings Domestic Terror

Norway horror: 80 die in youth camp shooting, 7 in blast

OSLO, Norway — A Norwegian who dressed as a police officer to gun down summer campers killed at least 80 people at an island retreat, horrified police said early Saturday. It took investigators several hours to begin the realize the full scope of the massacre, which followed an explosion in nearby Oslo that killed seven and that police say was set off by the same suspect.

Police initially said about 10 were killed at the forested camp on the island of Utoya, but some survivors said they thought the toll was much higher. Police director Oystein Maeland told reporters early Saturday they had discovered many more victims.

"It's taken time to search the area. What we know now is that we can say that there are at least 80 killed at Utoya," Maeland said. "It goes without saying that this gives dimensions to this incident that are exceptional."

Maeland said the death toll could rise even more. He said others were severely injured, but police didn't know how many were hurt.

A suspect in the shootings and the Oslo explosion was arrested. Though police did not release his name, Norwegian national broadcaster NRK identified him as 32-year-old Anders Behring Breivik and said police searched his Oslo apartment overnight. NRK and other Norwegian media posted pictures of the blond, blue-eyed Norwegian.

A police official said the suspect appears to have acted alone in both attacks, and that "it seems like that this is not linked to any international terrorist organizations at all." The official spoke on condition of anonymity because that information had not been officially released by Norway's police.

"It seems it's not Islamic-terror related," the official said. "This seems like a madman's work."

The official said the attack "is probably more Norway's Oklahoma City than it is Norway's World Trade Center." Domestic terrorists carried out the 1995 attack on a federal building in Oklahoma City, while foreign terrorists were responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

The official added, however, "it's still just hours since the incident happened. And the investigation is going on with all available resources."

The attacks formed the deadliest day of terror in Western Europe since the 2004 Madrid train bombings, when shrapnel-filled bombs exploded, killing 191 people and wounding about 1,800.

The motive was unknown, but both attacks were in areas connected to the ruling Labor Party government. The youth camp, about 20 miles (35 kilometers) northwest of Oslo, is organized by the party's youth wing, and the prime minister had been scheduled to speak there Saturday.

A 15-year-old camper named Elise said she heard gunshots, but then saw a police officer and thought she was safe. Then he started shooting people right before her eyes.

"I saw many dead people," said Elise, whose father, Vidar Myhre, didn't want her to disclose her last name. "He first shot people on the island. Afterward he started shooting people in the water."

Elise said she hid behind the same rock that the killer was standing on. "I could hear his breathing from the top of the rock," she said.

She said it was impossible to say how many minutes passed while she was waiting for him to stop.

At a hotel in the village of Sundvollen, where survivors of the shooting were taken, 21-year-old Dana Berzingi wore pants stained with blood. He said the fake police officer ordered people to come closer, then pulled weapons and ammunition from a bag and started shooting.

The official said the attack "is probably more Norway’s Oklahoma City than it is Norway’s World Trade Center." Domestic terrorists carried out the 1995 attack on a federal building in Oklahoma City, while foreign terrorists were responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

The official added, however, "it’s still just hours since the incident happened. And the investigation is going on with all available resources."

The attacks formed the deadliest day of terror in Western Europe since the 2004 Madrid train bombings, when shrapnel-filled bombs exploded, killing 191 people and wounding about 1,800.

The motive was unknown, but both attacks were in areas connected to the ruling Labor Party government. The youth camp, about 20 miles (35 kilometers) northwest of Oslo, is organized by the party’s youth wing, and the prime minister had been scheduled to speak there Saturday.

A 15-year-old camper named Elise said she heard gunshots, but then saw a police officer and thought she was safe. Then he started shooting people right before her eyes.

"I saw many dead people," said Elise, whose father, Vidar Myhre, didn’t want her to disclose her last name. "He first shot people on the island. Afterward he started shooting people in the water."

Elise said she hid behind the same rock that the killer was standing on. "I could hear his breathing from the top of the rock," she said.

Communist Workers League

Communist Workers League ,Kommunistisk Arbeiderforbund, was a small communist group in Norway. It was formed in 1972 by a group of Communist Party of Norway militants, who had either been expelled or left voluntarily. First KA oriented itself towards China, and later towards Albania.

KA published Den Røde Arbeideren (The Red Worker) annually in connection with May Day until 2005.

During the 1970s KA published Røde Fane (Red Flag).

In the spring of 2006 the group announced that it had dissolved itself.

Norwegian literature

History of Norwegian literature starts with the pagan Eddaic poems and skaldic verse of the 9th and 10th centuries with poets such as Bragi Boddason and Eyvindr skáldaspillir. The arrival of Christianity around the year 1000 brought Norway into contact with European mediaeval learning, hagiography and history writing. Merged with native oral tradition and Icelandic influence this was to flower into an active period of literature production in the late 12th and early 13th centuries. Major works of that period include Historia Norwegiæ, Þiðrekssaga and Konungs skuggsjá.

Little Norwegian literature came out of the period of the Scandinavian Union and the subsequent Dano-Norwegian union (1387—1814), with some notable exceptions such as Petter Dass and Ludvig Holberg. In his play Peer Gynt, Ibsen characterized this period as "Twice two hundred years of darkness/brooded o'er the race of monkeys", although the latter line is not as frequently quoted as the former. During the union with Denmark, written Norwegian was replaced by Danish.

Two major events precipitated a major resurgence in Norwegian literature. In 1811 a Norwegian university was established in Christiania. Seized by the spirit of revolution following the American and French Revolutions, the Norwegians signed their first Constitution in 1814. Soon, the cultural backwater that was Norway brought forth a series of strong authors recognized first in Scandinavia, and then worldwide; among them were Henrik Wergeland, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, Jørgen Moe and Camilla Collett.

By the late 19th century, in the Golden Age of Norwegian literature, the so-called Great Four emerged: Henrik Ibsen, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, Alexander Kielland, and Jonas Lie. Bjørnson's "peasant novels", such as "En glad gutt" (A Happy Boy) and "Synnøve Solbakken" are typical of the national romanticism of their day, whereas Kielland's novels and short stories are mostly realistic. Although an important contributor to early Norwegian romantic nationalism (especially the ironic Peer Gynt), Henrik Ibsen's fame rests primarily on his pioneering realistic dramas such The Wild Duck and A Doll's House, many of which caused moral uproar because of their candid portrayals of the middle classes.

In the 20th century, three Norwegian novelists were awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature: Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson in 1903, Knut Hamsun for the book "Markens grøde" ("Growth of the Soil") in 1920, and Sigrid Undset in 1928. Further important contributions to Norwegian literature were made by writers like Dag Solstad, Jon Fosse, Cora Sandel, Olav Duun, Olav H. Hauge, Gunvor Hofmo, Stein Mehren, Kjell Askildsen, Hans Herbjørnsrud, Aksel Sandemose, Bergljot Hobæk Haff, Jostein Gaarder, Erik Fosnes Hansen, Jens Bjørneboe, Kjartan Fløgstad, Lars Saabye Christensen, Johan Borgen, Herbjørg Wassmo, Jan Erik Vold, Rolf Jacobsen, Olaf Bull, Jan Kjærstad, Georg Johannesen, Tarjei Vesaas, Sigurd Hoel, Arnulf Øverland and Johan Falkberget.