The right-wing fanatic who confessed to killing 77 people in a
bomb-and-shooting massacre went on trial in Norway's capital Monday,
defiantly rejecting the authority of the court.
Anders Behring Breivik, dressed in a dark suit, smiled as a guard
removed his handcuffs in the crowded court
room. The 33-year-old then flashed a closed-fist salute, before shaking hands with prosecutors and court officials.
"I don't recognize Norwegian courts because you get your mandate
from the Norwegian political parties who support multiculturalism,"
Breivik said in his first comments to the court.
Breivik also said he doesn't recognize the authority of Judge Wenche
Elisabeth Arntzen, because he said she is friends with the sister of
former Norwegian Prime Minister and Labor Party leader Gro Harlem
Brundtland.
The anti-Muslim militant described himself as a writer, currently
working from prison, when asked by the judge for his employment status.
After opening statements Monday, Breivik is set to testify for five
days, explaining why he set off a bomb in downtown Oslo, killing eight,
and then shot to death 69 people, mostly teenagers, at a Labor Party
youth camp on Utoya island, outside the Norwegian capital.
Breivik has admitted to the attacks, claiming they were necessary to
protect Norway from being taken over by Muslims, but has rejected
criminal guilt. He is facing terrorism and premeditated murder charges.
The key issue to be resolved during the 10-week trial is the state
of Breivik's mental health, which will decide whether he is sent to
prison or to psychiatric care.