Norway police say UK crime technician aids probe

Reporting from Oslo — Norwegians have always taken pride in their open, trusting society.

It's a country where you might encounter the prime minister at the grocery store and offer a hug. Many police don't carry guns and most government buildings are unprotected. Homicide is rare, with only a handful of gun-related deaths a year.

But as Otto Lovik stood Sunday on a muddy lakeshore overlooking Utoya Island and recalled how he rescued about 60 people fleeing Friday's massacre by a gunman, the 56-year-old prison guard, still shaking from the experience, said his country must change.

Norwegian police said Sunday that a British police expert was aiding a probe of attacks that killed at least 93 people as part of cooperation with foreign forces.

"We have received help from the Metropolitan police in London by a criminal technician expert," acting police chief Sveinung Sponheim told a news conference. He said that Norwegian police were also sending out information via Interpol.

Sponheim also said that a police officer had been due to be on the island where the gunman massacred at least 86 people. It took about an hour for police to arrive.

"There was supposed to be a police officer there," he said, adding that it was unclear where he was.

Who is Anders Behring Breivik?

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 Charged

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 Immigration

In recent years, immigration has accounted for most of Norway's population growth. According to Statistics Norway (SSB), a record 61,200 immigrants arrived in the country in 2007, an increase of 35% from 2006. At the beginning of 2010, there were 552,313 people in Norway of some immigrant background (including those born of immigrant parents), comprising 11.4% of the total population. 210,725 were from Western countries (Europe, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand) and 341,588 were from other countries. The largest immigrant groups by country of origin, in order of size, are Poles, Swedes, Pakistanis, Iraqis, Somalis, Germans, Vietnamese, and Danes.

Pakistani Norwegians are the largest non-European minority group in Norway, and most of their 31,000 members live around Oslo. The Iraqi immigrant population has increased significantly in recent years. After the enlargement of the EU in 2004, there has also been an influx of immigrants from Central and Eastern Europe, particularly Poland. The large 2007 immigrant group was primarily from Poland, Germany, Sweden, Lithuania and Russia.

In 2011 there were approximately 883,000 people of some non-Norwegian background residing in Norway, or 18% of the total population. In 2010, the immigrant community grew by 57,000, which accounted for 90% of Norway's population growth; some 27% of newborn children were of immigrant background. The policies of immigration and integration are subjected to major controversy in Norway. These statistics indicate that Norway's population is now 82.0% ethnic Norwegian, a figure that has steadily decreased since the late 20th century. Some 12.2% of the population is of solely immigrant background, while 5.7% of the population is of mixed Norwegian-foreign ancestry. People of other European ethnicity are 5.8% of the total, while Asians (including Pakistanis, Iraqis, and Turks) are 4.3%, Africans 1.5%, and others 0.6%.

Ethnicity Population Percent

Norwegians 4,037,301 82.0%

Swedes 78,830 1.6%

Poles 65,294 1.3%

Danes 53,630 1.0%

Germans 40,847 0.8%

Britons 36,312 0.7%

Pakistanis 35,722 0.7%

Law enforcement in Norway

Norway uses a civil law system where laws are created and amended in Parliament and the system regulated through the Courts of Justice of Norway. It consists of the Supreme Court of 19 permanent judges and a Chief Justice, appellate courts, city and district courts, and conciliation councils. The judiciary, although traditionally a third branch of government, is independent of executive and legislative branches. While the Prime Minister nominates Supreme Court Justices for office, their nomination must be approved by Parliament and formally confirmed by the Monarch in the Council of State. Usually, judges attached to regular courts are formally appointed by the Monarch on the advice of the Prime Minister.

The Courts' strict and formal mission is to regulate the Norwegian judicial system, interpret the Constitution, and as such implement the legislation adopted by Parliament and monitor the legislative and executive powers to ensure that they themselves comply with the acts of legislation that have been previously adopted.

Law enforcement in Norway is carried out by the Norwegian Police Service. The Norwegian Police Service is a Unified National Police Service made up of 27 Police Districts and several specialist agencies like Økokrim and Kripos, each headed by a Chief of Police. The Police Service is headed by the National Police Directorate, which in turn is subordinate to the Ministry of Justice and the Police, the Police Directorate is headed by a National Police Commissioner. The only exception is the Norwegian Police Security Agency who answers directly to the Ministry of Justice and the Police.

In its 2007 Worldwide Press Freedom Index, Reporters Without Borders ranked Norway at a shared 1st place (with Iceland) out of 169 countries. The death penalty was abolished in Norway in 1902. Death penalty for high treason in war and war-crimes was also abolished in 1979. Currently, Norway has the lowest homicide rate in the world.