More than 80 dead as twin attacks leave Norway reeling

[1938 Observer]

WHAT IS THE WORLD COMING TOO???????


Police say more than 80 people have been killed in Norway after twin attacks in the capital Oslo and at a political party's youth camp on a nearby island.

A 32-year-old Norwegian man is thought to have opened fire on teenagers at the Labour Party youth camp on Utoya island shortly after detonating a huge explosion outside the prime minister's office in the capital on Friday afternoon (local time).

Norwegian police said at least 80 people had been killed on the island alone and said the attacks had taken on "catastrophic dimensions".

Witnesses described how the gunman, who was dressed as a policeman, kicked wounded people in the head to check if they were still alive before shooting them dead.

Terrified campers cowered behind walls and jumped into the water to escape the carnage.

"The updated knowledge we are sitting on now is at least 80 [dead]," police chief Oystein Maeland told a news conference. "We can't guarantee that won't increase somewhat," he said, adding some were badly injured.

Previously, police had said that at least 10 people had been killed in at Utoya, along with seven killed by the bomb which left large areas of central Oslo in ruins.

Undetonated explosives were found on the island and police warned residents to stay home as there could be more explosives hidden in Oslo's city centre.

Key facts:

Police say death toll is at least 87
The two attacks are believed to be linked
The suspected gunman has been arrested.
Norway's national broadcaster has named him as Anders Behring Breivik
Central Oslo has been shut down in the wake of attacks
Attacks described as "worst in Norway since World War II"
Gallery: View photos of the attacks
DFAT says no reports of Australians injured
Utoya island, where the shooting happened, is north-west of Oslo and was hosting a camp for around 600 young members of prime minister Jens Stoltenberg's Labour Party.

There is speculation the male suspect is a right-wing extremist but it is not yet known if he acted alone.

Police closed Norway's borders after the attacks and have not ruled out other people being involved.

Mr Stoltenberg delivered a televised address in the wake of the attacks and said the country was in shock.

"We've all been shaken by the evil that struck us so brutally. I have a message to whoever attacked us: you will not destroy us. You will not destroy our democracy," he said.

On Utoya island, witnesses described how people cowered in buildings and jumped into the water to swim for their lives as the gunman opened fire with an automatic weapon.

Among the wounded was Adrian Pracon, who was shot in the left shoulder as the gunman opened fire.

Speaking to ABC News 24 from hospital, he said the scene on the island was like a "Nazi movie" and described how he felt the heat from the barrel of the gunman's weapon.

"He was armed with a gun and he was shooting people at close range and starting to shoot at us. He stood first 10 metres from me and shooting at people in the water," he said.

"He had an M16, it did look like a machine gun. When I saw him from the side yelling that he was about to kill us, he looked like he was taken from a Nazi movie or something.

"He started shooting at these people, so I laid down and acted as if I was dead. He stood maybe two metres away from me. I could hear him breathing. I could feel the heat of the machine gun.



Video: Raw vision: Norway attacked (ABC News)
"He was very near. I heard a big boom and for a second I couldn't hear anything in my left ear. But I didn't think I was shot because it felt like something just hit me and peeled off. But it turned out I was shot pretty badly.

"He tried everyone, he kicked them to see if they were alive, or he just shot them.

"From what I saw he had one thing on his mind.

"Many of these bodies are laying in the water and drifting around the island.

"The shooting started at 5:00pm. The meeting we had was just half an hour sooner, so when the shooting started, from 5:00pm it was maybe two hours before we saw police, before they were circling with the helicopter and they had the situation under control.

Mr Pracon said he jumped into the water to swim for safety but turned around when he saw that the opposite shore was around 700 metres away.

"I swam back because I saw it was impossible for me to swim over. I'm very glad I did.

"Some of my friends tried to stop him by talking to him. Many people thought that it was a test ... comparing it to how it is to live in Gaza. So many people went to him and tried to talk to him, but they were shot immediately."

As night fell boats continued to search for survivors in the water, with spotlights sweeping the coast and helicopters flying overhead.

"I just saw people jumping into the water, about 50 people swimming towards the shore. People were crying, shaking, they were terrified," said Anita Lien, 42, who lives by Tyrifjord lake, a few hundred metres from Utoya.

"They were so young, between 14 and 19 years old."

Survivor Jorgen Benone, who was on the island at the time, said: "I saw people being shot. I tried to sit as quietly as possible. I was hiding behind some stones. I saw him once, just 20, 30 metres away from me. I thought 'I'm terrified for my life', I thought of all the people I love."

"A man in police uniform called young people, telling them: 'Come here', and then executed them," a witness told national broadcaster NRK.

Another witness said he saw at least 20 bodies after the shooting.

"I've seen it with my own eyes, at least 20 dead people lying in the water", Andre Skeie, 26, said.

Mr Skeie had gone to the island on his boat to help people evacuate the island.

"I received an SMS that said: 'There is gunfire, I am hiding,' said the father of a girl attending the summer camp.

"We communicated by SMS. She told me not to call so as not to give away her hiding place."

The attack in Oslo left the area around the explosion a picture of urban desolation, with building skeletons left standing after an explosion heard kilometres away.

With police advising people to evacuate central Oslo, and some soldiers taking up positions on the streets, the usually sleepy capital was gripped by fear of fresh attacks. Streets were strewn with shattered masonry, glass and twisted steel.

Witnesses described the ground shaking like an earthquake as the bomb blast rang out through the city like heavy thunder.

Police set up a cordon around the blast zone to keep the public away and heavy machinery was being used to clean up the debris.

Police confirmed a bomb was behind the blast which tore through the government quarter which is home to the prime minister's office, the finance ministry and some of the country's leading media.

There were no reports of any senior government officials being killed or wounded.

"We can confirm that we have seven dead and two have been seriously injured" in the bomb attack, a police spokesman told reporters at a briefing in Oslo.

"It is the most violent event to strike Norway since World War II," said Geir Bekkevold, an opposition parliamentarian for the Christian Peoples Party.

Police said they believed the two attacks were connected.

"There are good reasons to believe that there is a link between the events," police commissioner Sveinung Sponheim told reporters in Oslo.

Oslo's mayor Fabian Stang said the capital was struggling to come to terms with the idea that it had joined the list of cities targeted by bombers.

"Today we think about those people living in New York and London who have experienced this kind of thing," he told Britain's Sky News

"I do not think it is possible for us to understand what has happened today but hopefully we will be able to go on and that tomorrow Oslo will be a peaceful city again."

The EU condemned the attacks as "acts of cowardice" and the NATO chief denounced the attacks as "heinous".

Prime Minister Julia Gillard extended her sympathies to Norway and said Australia would help "in any way we can".

Australians with concerns for family or friends in Norway can contact the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's emergency consular phone service on 1300 555 135.

ABC/wires

Videos are available at the link.





http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-07-2...ttacks/2807138



Norway bomb devastation Terror in Northeurope

[Alastair]

This is just horrendous. In some ways the explosion in Oslo was bad enough but when he then went on to shoot some 90+ people I don't think I've ever heard of such an event other than in a war zone. And all young people as well. Absoultely terrible.

Alastair

[Diane]

Hey Gordon,
Ya, it is so hard to wrap your head around something like this. He must be truly deranged. Through his lawyer he said that the acts were "atrocious but necessary". Said he would explain more when he is in court. I really don't know what to say. My heart just breaks.

[Glesgalass]

The man is obviously mentally ill. No-one in their right mind would do such a thing. It's about time that gun laws were amended in ALL countries. I can't think of ANY reason for any member of the public, other than a farmer, to have guns, especially military type guns.

Elda

[miolchu]

The only problem is his behavior before and during was very calculated and organized. A mentally ill person would usually lack the capacity for such organization.

[Kelly d]

My heart and prayers go out to the devastated families of Norway.

[Glesgalass]

The only problem is his behavior before and during was very calculated and organized. A mentally ill person would usually lack the capacity for such organization.

That's not necessarily true. Having a mental illness does not affect a persons intelligence level, and some can be very organised. I knew a solicitor who had schizophrenia controlled by medication. It's when they are unmedicated and delusional that they sometimes act on their delusions.

Elda

[miolchu]

MSNBC posted an article on Anders Behring Breivik today.

"A high degree of planning and premeditation, and an ability to see through to the consequences of your actions in a rational way, imply some capacity to form intent," Fazel said

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43954458...d_news-europe/