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OSLO, Norway (AP) -- 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 Friday's massacre, which followed an explosion in nearby Oslo that killed seven and that police say was set off by the same suspect.
The mass shootings are among the worst in history. With the blast outside the prime minister's office, they formed the deadliest day of terror in Western Europe since the 2004 Madrid train bombings killed 191.
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 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.|||God damn. When I heard about this earlier in the day it was after the bomb went off and the shooter hadn't started shooting. What I heard then was only 8 injured and nobody found dead.
but this... ****|||Had only heard about the bombing yesterday as well. The shooting...damn. Death toll is up to 90 according to the latest news here, mostly teens between 14 and 20 years old. Shooters motives are unknown (and his name isn't confirmed), but they pretty much ruled out fundamentalist Islam affections, as the shooter is a "devout Christian with anti-Islam sympathies".
If my guess is correct and the Norwegian Labor party is left-winged, it seems possible it was politically influenced.|||Screwed. Up.|||The shooter was apparently a conservative right-wing extremist. A girl who was on the island has written a blog post.
Slightly fixed Google Translate:
Spoiler
Quote:
I woke up. I can not sleep more. I'm sitting in the living room. Feeling grief, anger, happiness, God, I do not know what. There are too many emotions. There are too many thoughts. I'm afraid. I react to the slightest sound. I will write about what happened on Ut�ya. What my eyes saw, what I felt, what I did. The words come straight from the liver, but I would also anonymize many names out of respect for my friends.
We had a crisis meeting in the main building after the explosions in Oslo. After that there was a meeting for members of Akershus and Oslo. After the meetings were many, many people around and in the main building. We consoled ourselves that we were safe on an island. No one knew that hell would break out with us too.
I stood in the main time when panic broke out. I heard shots. I saw him shoot. All started to run. The first thought was: "Why is the police shooting on us? What the hell? "I ran into the little room. People ran. Screamed. I was scared. I managed to get into one of the rooms at the back of the building. We were many in there. We lay on the floor all together. We heard several shots. Were more afraid. I cried. I knew nothing. I saw my best friend through the window and wondered if I should go out and bring him to me. I did not. I saw fear in his eyes. We were lying on the floor inside the room for a few minutes. We agreed not to let in more people, in case the killer came. We heard several shots and decided to jump out the window. Panic broke out among us. All in the room rushed to the window and tried to jump out. I was the last and thought: "I am the last to jump out the window. Now I'm dying. I'm sure, but it might be okay, then I know that the others are safe. "I threw my bag out the window. Tried to manage down, but lost my grip. I landed hard on the left part of the body. A boy helped me up. We ran into the woods. I looked around. "Is he here? Is he shooting on me? Can he see me? "A girl had a broken ankle. Another was severely injured. I tried to help a little bit before I went down to the water. I sought cover behind a sort of brick wall. We were many. I prayed, prayed, prayed. I hope that God saw me. I called Mom and said that it was not certain we would meet again, but that I would do everything to get away. I said several times that I loved her. I heard fear in her voice. She cried. It hurt. I sent a text message to my dad, told him I loved him. I sent a text message to another person I like very, very much. We had a little contact. I sent a text message to my best friend. He did not answer. We heard several shots. Snuggled together. Did everything we could to keep warm. There were so many thoughts. I was so scared. My dad called me. I cried, said I loved him. He said he was going with my brother to take welcome me when I come across to the mainland, or they came to the island. There were so many emotions. So many thoughts. I told everything I could. It took some time. The other called their parents and eventually all started texting for fear that the killer would hear us. I thought of my sister who's away. How I would tell her how it went? What happened to me. I updated on Twitter and Facebook that I was still alive and that I was "safe." I wrote that I was waiting for the police. People jumped into the water, started swimming. I lay down. I decided that if he came, I would play dead. I would not run or swim. I can not describe the fear, all the thoughts, what I felt.
A man came. "I'm from the police." I kept lying down. Some shouted back that he had to prove it. I do not remember exactly what he said, but the killer started shooting. He loaded. Shot more. He shot those around me. I was lying. I thought: "Now it's over. He's here. He takes me. Now I'm dying. "People screamed. I heard that others were shot. Others jumped into the water. I was there. The mobile phone in hand. I lay on top of the legs of a girl. Two others were on top of my leg. I was lying. I received text messages. The mobile phone rang several times. I was lying. I played dead. I lay there for at least an hour. It was completely quiet. I gently turned my head to see if I could see someone alive. I saw dead bodies. I saw blood. Fear. I decided to get up. I had been lying on top of a dead body. Two dead bodies lay on top of me. I had a guardian angel.
I did not know if he would come back again. I had not the courage to look at all those who had called and texted me. I hurried down to the water. I took off my sweater. It was big. I thought it would be difficult to swim to me. I considered whether I should bring my cell phone or leave it again. I put it in the back pocket and jumped into the water. I saw several others in the water. They had swum far. I saw that someone had gathered around an inflatable boat or something like that. There were many who picked up those who swam out. I swam, swam, and swam towards the air thing. I screamed. Cried. Was cold. I thought of when I would drown. It was heavier and heavier. I prayed. I continued. Was tired arms. Decided to turn on my back and just use the legs to swim on. I sank. I started to swim normally again. A little while I thought they had gathered around the air boat began to move away. I screamed. Begged them to wait for me. I must have seen visions. I swam at least a few hundred meters before I arrived. We talked a little together. Told what we were called, where we came from. When the boats passed us we shouting for help, but they picked up the others in the water first. A man in a boat came to us. He threw out several life jackets. I got hold of one. Got it on me. I held on to the small air boat a long time until the same man came back to pick us up. All got into it. He began to go towards the shore. After a while his small boat started to take in some water. I did everything I could to get the most water out. I used a bucket. I was exhausted. Another girl in the boat took over. We came to the mainland. We got blankets. Tears pressed on. I cried more. A woman hugged me. It was so good. I wept aloud. I sobbed. A man lent me his phone. I called my dad, "I live. I did it. Now I am safe. "I hung up. Cried more. We had to walk a bit. Completely unknown people took us into their cars and drove us to Sundvollen hotel. I ran in to see if I could see my best friend. I saw him at any place. I saw a friend. I cried loudly. We hugged each other for long. It was good. I walked around, looking for friends. My heart pounded. I cried more. I signed up with the police, then through all the lists. I did not know if my best friend lived. I looked through all the lists. I could not find his name anywhere. I was scared. I got a blanket. I took off my wet socks. I was half naked. Got a jacket. I tried to dial a bit. Contacted my parents again. My dad and brother were on their way to fetch me. I drank some cocoa. I sat down. Thought. Cried. Saw many friends. Hugged them. Cried. I borrowed a computer. Updated the Facebook and Twitter again that I was safe. I was at the hotel for several hours before my family came. I looked for familiar people. I talked to a priest. I told all I had seen. It was a good talk. A man from the Red Cross saw all my wounds. Cleanse them. Time passed. I was with some of my friends. All talked about the same. How we survived. What had happened. I asked several if they had seen my best friend. No one had seen him. I was scared. I thought that it was my fault because we had not managed to stay together. A friend got the key to a hotel room. We sat there, looked at the news. There was anger, sorrow, so many emotions. My dad called, they had come. I took the elevator down. Run out to them. Hugged my brother and my dad a long time. I cried aloud. My brother was crying too. It was a good moment. I saw a boy who looked like my best friend. I shouted his name. He turned around. It was him. We hugged each other for long. Both crying, we asked each other how we had managed. After a while, I registered myself and we drove home. Someone else sat in with us. My best friend was with me. His brother had come to me with his best friend. There were several who had gathered at my home. They would not go home until they had seen that I was fine. We talked a little bit. I drank a juice Gladden. Ate a yogurt. Talked some more with my mom and my family. I called my best friend. It was a good call. She said: "I was not sure if I would ever get this phone." Tears pressed on. We talked a little bit. After that I lay. It was three. Mom refused to let me sleep alone, so we slept together.
There have been several hours since all this happened. I'm still in shock. Everything has not fallen in. I have seen the corpses of my friends. Several of my friends are missing. I am glad that I can swim. I am glad that I live. For that God watched over me. There are so many emotions, so many thoughts. I think of all the relatives. In all I lost. In the hell that is and was on the island. This summer's most beautiful fairy tale is transformed into Norway's worst nightmare.|||Aside from the obvious, a couple of things bother me about this:
1- That we need to qualify attacks with "It does not seem to be related to Islam"
2- I only know like two people who care about this. Everyone else is all upset about Amy Winehouse.|||That this happens in norway of all places...|||Quote:
Aside from the obvious, a couple of things bother me about this:
1- That we need to qualify attacks with "It does not seem to be related to Islam"
2- I only know like two people who care about this. Everyone else is all upset about Amy Winehouse.
1- that bothers me too. Not every terrorist attack has something to do with Islam, and there are plenty of perfectly peaceable Islamic people out there that have nothing whatsoever to do with terrorism. Terrorist does not equal Islamic. Islamic does not equal terrorist. There have been plenty non-Islamic terrorists, and plenty non-terrorist Islamics, in the past. Why is it that the world all of a sudden equates terrorism and Islamicism? A reasonable individual can recognise that terrorism exists, and that Islam exists, and that sometimes you get Islamic terrorists, but just because someone is Islamic doesn't make them a terrorist, any more that being a terrorist makes someone Islamic.
2- even though I posted about Amy Winehouse (I made a thread because there wasn't one) I would have posted about this if someone else had not posted about it first. I have friends in Norway (who thankfully were miles away from the terrorist attack). However, news is news, and I can well see how some people that may not know anyone in Norway but who like Amy Winehouse's music may feel that Amy Winehouse dying is more newsworthy and of more import to them. It's not more newsworthy, both are newsworthy, both deserve coverage, and it's not like you have to not care about one to care about the other. Both are tragedies, albeit of differing magnitudes. One of them may affect you more than the other, but that doesn't mean that you cannot recognise the tragedy inherent in the other event, even if it affects you less.|||This is such a shock, such a shock... Terrible news makes me feel very bad. I wish strength to the victims who managed to stay alive and their families and friends.
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1- That we need to qualify attacks with "It does not seem to be related to Islam"
This bothers me too, very much. Especially because our "immigration critics" (ICs) are being a tad bit hypocritical: As soon as the news of the bomb came up here in Finland, the "ICs" popped on every Finnish-speaking news forum to whine about how bad Islam is for the West and how all Muslims are terrorists. Some even celebrated that now the immigration-criticizing political view is going to win for good. Now that we know the shooter is a Norwegian right-wing extremists the "ICs" accuse everyone else of political manhunt aimed at the "IC" kind of people and dancing on the victims' graves.|||The real question comes down to desiring to know the motivation, so I don't think it's out of bounds to talk about these things. Plus, if it was an Islamic terrorist group, there'd be a good reason to let people know, as linked attacks wouldn't be out of the question. We shouldn't assume, but we should make sure.
In the end, though, the news will be news-y about this stuff, if you know what I mean.
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