After a horrific day of violence in Norway that left more than 80 dead, police detained a man in connection with the massive bomb blasts that blew out windows for blocks in downtown Oslo and an attack on a youth camp about 20 miles away that followed shortly thereafter.
Police and the justice minister said a 32-year-old Norwegian man was arrested on the Island where a man who reportedly introduced himself as a police officer opened fire on teenagers attending a camp of Norway’s ruling Labour Party. The man was reportedly also seen in Oslo before the bombs went off. “The police have every reason to believe there is a connection between the explosions and what happened at Utoya,” police told the New York Times, referring to the island.
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The Associated Press reported that a Norwegian public broadcaster named the man in custody as Anders Breivik. The British newspaper The Telegraph reported the same name for the suspect, citing the justice ministry. According to earlier reports on Norwegian television, Breivik, not named yet, had connections to right-wing politics.
A Facebook page (now taken down) bearing the same name as the apparent suspect lists his religion as “Christianity” and his political views as “Conservative.” The interests listed on the page range from the computer game World of Warcraft to the U.S. television show The Commish. A Twitter account also surfaced bearing the name Anders Breivik, but only one tweet had been issued. “One person with a belief is equal to the force of 100 000 who have only interests,” it read. Neither of the online accounts were immediately verifiable.
Another Norwegian news account, as translated by Google, indicated that Breivik harbored anti-Islam sentiment. The report said he identified strongly with nationalism and posted on an anti-Islam right-wing website, where he expressed views in opposition to multiculturalism and internationalism. He also expressed admiration for controversial Dutch anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders’s party.
The New York Times updated its story, confirming the suspect’s identity with official Norwegian sources, as well as offering a few additional details, such as Breivik’s “farm-related business in Rena, in eastern Norway, which the authorities said allowed him to order a large quantity of ammonium nitrate fertilizer, an ingredient that can be used to make explosives.” Authorities are investigating the possible links.
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