Massacre gunman is insane, insists his lawyer

Geir Lippestrad spoke after talking in jail to Breivik who told him he thought his “operation” was going to plan and asked how many people he had killed.

He revealed Breivik took drugs to be “strong, efficient and awake” before launching his Oslo bomb attack and island shooting rampage last Friday which together killed 76 people.

Mr Lippestrad described the 32-year-old as a “very cold” person who claimed the attacks as necessary because he was in a state of war.

Breivik has confessed to the attacks but pleaded not guilty to terrorism charges, claiming he acted to save Europe from what he says is Muslim colonisation.

Mr Lippestad said that he did not answer Breivik’s question about the death toll.

“He asked me if was if I was shocked and if I could explain to him what happened,” Mr Lippestad said. “He didn’t know if he had succeeded with his plan.”

But Mr Lippestad said Breivik had assumed he would have been stopped by police sooner than he was. About 90 minutes into his rampage, a Swat team reached him and he surrendered.

The attacks began with a bombing outside the building that houses the prime minister’s office in Oslo. Then, Breivik opened fire on Utoya island retreat for the youth wing of the Labour Party, leaving dozens dead and hundreds of young teenagers scrambling to escape, many diving into the water to try to swim away or barricading themselves in buildings.

While Breivik says he acted alone, and police believe he did not have any accomplices, he claimed several cells of his terror organisation exist abroad, including two in Norway

Breivik has been charged with acts of terrorism but Mr Lippestad said he could also be charged with crimes against humanity. Although the stiffest sentence in Norway is 21 years, the lawyer said he would never be freed.

“His reason (for the attacks) is that he wants to start a war against democracy, against the Muslims in the world, and as he said he wants to liberate Europe and the Western world,” said Mr Lippestad.

Asked how Breivik sees himself, he said: “As a saviour, some kind of saviour.”

Two psychiatric experts will evaluate Breivik to determine whether he is mentally ill, said Mr Lippestad, adding it’s too early to say whether that will be his defence.

“This whole case has indicated that he’s insane,” he said.

In a rambling 1,500-page manifesto posted online shortly before the attacks, Breivik stated he had been recruited to the radical cause by two English right-wing extremists at a meeting in the UK in 2002, claims that are being investigated in the UK.

Yesterday anti-fascist campaign group Searchlight claimed Breivik wrote online of his wish to attend far-right rallies in the UK and called the English Defence League “a blessing”.

Breivik is believed to have made internet postings on English Defence League (EDL) websites, according to Searchlight which said he had used the pseudonym Sigurd Jorsalfare, after the 12th century King of Norway who led one of the crusades.

In one post on an EDL internet forum, dated 9 March 2011, he wrote: “Hello. To you all good English men and women, just wanted to say that you’re a blessing to all in Europe, in these dark times all of Europe are looking to you in search of inspiration, courage and even hope that we might turn this evil trend with islamisation all across our continent.”

The EDL issued a statement insisting it has never had “any official contact” with Breivik and there was no evidence that he ever registered as a supporter on the EDL Facebook page.

Earlier, Norway’s justice minister Knut Storberget said employees from his department were still missing. Police planned to start naming the dead yesterday.

There is a particular focus on identifying the dead since authorities dramatically lowered the death toll on Monday, apparently because they counted 18 bodies twice in the confusion following the massacre. They initially said 86 people died on the island, but now say the figure is 68.