Norway mourns twin attack victims

[MrsJrotax101]

LATEST:

Norwegians are mourning the victims of a massacre at an island youth camp and a bombing in the capital Oslo.

At least 85 people died when a gunman opened fire at the Utoeya camp on Friday, hours after a blast in the government quarter killed seven. Another four are missing on the island.

A 32-year-old Norwegian man was charged over both attacks, but police say it is possible another person was involved.

The suspect's lawyer said he admitted responsibility for the attacks.

He said his client believed his actions were "atrocious" but "necessary", adding that he would explain himself in court on Monday.

The suspect surrendered when approached by police officers, police said.

Police chief Sveinung Sponheim said they took 45 minutes to reach the island, and the gunman was apprehended 45 minutes after that.

Mr Sponheim added that there were still bodies or body parts in buildings damaged by the Oslo blast, which he confirmed was caused by a car bomb.

However, the buildings were currently too fragile and dangerous to search, and there were still undetonated explosives there, the police chief said.

It was possible the total death toll from the two attacks could rise to 98, he said.

Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg comforted victims and relatives alongside King Harald, Queen Sonja and Crown Prince Haakon in the town of Sundvollen near the island.

Mr Stoltenberg said he was "deeply touched" by the meetings.

"We will do whatever we can to give them as much support as possible," he said.

King Harald said: "It's now important that we stand together and we support each other and we do not let fear conquer us."

Fertiliser used?

The suspect is reported by local media to have had links with right-wing extremists.

He has been named as Anders Behring Breivik. Police searched his Oslo apartment overnight and are questioning him.

Still pictures of him, wearing a wetsuit and carrying an automatic weapon, appeared in a 12-minute anti-Muslim video called Knights Templar 2083, which appeared briefly on YouTube.

The BBC's Richard Galpin, near the island which is currently cordoned off by police, says that Norway has had problems with neo-Nazi groups in the past but the assumption was that such groups had been largely eliminated and did not pose a significant threat.

Meanwhile a farm supply firm has confirmed selling six tonnes of fertiliser to Mr Breivik, who is reported to have run a farming company. Speculation has been rife that fertiliser could have been used in the Oslo bomb.

The number killed in the island shooting spree, which is among the world's most deadly, had been put at 10 on Friday - but soared overnight. Hundreds of young people had been attending the summer camp organised by the governing Labour Party on Utoeya island.

Eyewitnesses described how a tall, blond man dressed as a policeman opened fire indiscriminately, prompting camp attendees to jump into the water to try to escape the hail of bullets.

Some of the teenagers were shot at as they tried to swim to safety.

Armed police were deployed to the island but details of the operation to capture the suspect remain unclear. After his arrest he was charged with committing acts of terrorism.

Police say they discovered many more victims after searching the area around the island. They have warned the death toll may rise further as rescue teams continue to scour the waters.

The gunman is reported to have been armed with two weapons, one of them an automatic rifle.

NRK journalist Ole Torp told the BBC the suspect went to the island dressed in a police uniform, asked people to gather round and then started shooting.

The attacks sparked strong international condemnation, with US President Barack Obama expressing his condolences and offering support.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth spoke of her shock and sadness in a letter to King Harald.

The BBC's John Sopel in Oslo says the city is strangely quiet and there is a heavy military presence, with checkpoints around the government quarter.

Officials have urged people to stay at home and avoid central areas of the city.
Island shooting suspect

• Describes himself as a Christian and conservative on Facebook page attributed to him
• Grew up in Oslo and attended Oslo School of Management
• Set up farm through which he would have had access to fertiliser - which can also be used to make a bomb

Article from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14262956

 

[KennyGS]

Whackos are everywhere.

 

[MrsJrotax101]

Norway shooting: politician describes witnessing Utoya massacre on her blog

A young Norwegian politician used her blog to describe being caught up in the Utoya massacre. Prableen Kaur, 23, was one of the 650 people on the island as Anders Behring Breivik started shooting.

Prableen Kaur, 23, thought she was going to die


I woke up. I cannot sleep any 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 Utøya.

What my eyes saw, what I felt, and what I did. The words come straight from the gut, but I will 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 [a county bordering the capital] and Oslo. After the meetings there were many, many people around and inside 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 was standing in the main street [of the island] when panic broke out. I heard shots. I saw him shoot. Everyone started to run.

The first thought was: "Why are the police shooting us? What the hell? "I ran into a little room. Everyone ran. Screamed. I was scared. I managed to get into one of the rooms at the back of the building. There were many of us in there. We all lay on the floor together. We heard several shots. We became more afraid. I cried. I knew nothing.


I saw my best friend through the window and wondered if I should go outside 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 move out in case the killer came.

We heard several shots and decided to jump out the window. Panic broke out among us. Everyone 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 going to die. I'm sure, but it might be okay and then I will know that the others are safe."

I threw my bag out the window. I tried to climb down, but lost my grip. I landed hard on the left side of my body. A boy helped me up. We ran into the woods. I looked around. "Is he here? Is he shooting 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. There were many of us. I prayed, prayed, prayed. I hope that God saw me. I called Mum and said that it was not certain we would meet again, but that I would do anything to stay safe.

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 telling him I loved him. I sent a text message to another person I am very, very close to. We had a little contact. I sent a text message to my best friend. He did not answer. We heard several shots.

We were snuggled together. We did everything we could to keep warm. There were so many thoughts. I was so scared. My dad called me. I cried and said I loved him. He said he and my brother would go to welcome me when I reached the mainland, or they would come to the island. There were so many emotions. So many thoughts. I told him everything I could. It took some time. We switched to texting for fear that the killer would hear us.

I thought of my sister who is away. How I would tell her how it went? What happened to me. I updated Twitter and Facebook to say I was still alive and that I was "safe".

I wrote that I was waiting for the police. People jumped into the water and started swimming. I was lying down. I decided that if he came, I would play dead. I would not run or swim. I cannot describe the fear that took over my mind, what I felt.

A man came. "I'm from the police." I was lying there. Some shouted back that he had to prove it. I do not remember exactly what he said, but the killer started shooting. He charged. He shot those around me. I was still lying there. I thought: "Now it's over. He's here. He's going to shoot me. I'm going to die."

People screamed. I heard that others were shot. Others jumped into the water. I was there. Holding the mobile phone in my hand, I lay on top of a girl's legs. Two others lay on my feet. I was still lying there. The mobile phone rang several times. I was still lying. I played dead. I lay there for at least an hour. It was completely quiet. I gently turned her head to see if I could
see someone alive. I looked like around. I saw blood. Fear. I decided to get up. I had been lying on top of a dead body. Two dead bodies lay on me. I had a guardian angel.

I did not know if he would come back again. I did not have 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 large.

I thought it would be difficult to swim with it. I considered whether I should bring my mobile phone or leave it again.

I put it in my 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 a floating lifeboat or something like that.

There were many who followed those who swam out.

I swam, swam, and swam towards the inflatable boat. I screamed, wept. I was calm. I thought of when I would drown. It became harder and harder. I questioned myself. I kept swimming.

My arms were tired. I decided just to use my legs legs to swim.

I sank. I started to swim normally again.

After a little while I thought the group who were clinging on to the dinghy were moving away from me. I screamed. Begged them to wait for me. I must have seen visions. I swam at least a few hundred metres before I reached them.

We talked a little together. Who we were, where we came from. When the boats passed us we started shouting for help, but they picked up the others who were still swimming.

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 dinghy for a long time, until the same man came back to pick us up. We all got into it. He began to head towards the shore. After a little while his boat started to take in water. I did everything I could to get as much water out as possible.

I used a bucket. I was exhausted. Another girl in the boat took over. We reached the shore.

We were given blankets. The tears would not stop. 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'm alive. I made 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 the Sundvollen hotel. I ran in to see if I could see my best friend.
I could not find him anywhere.

I saw a friend. I cried, loudly. We hugged each other for a long time. It was good. I walked around, looking for friends. My heart pounded. I cried more. I gave my details to the police, then looked through all the lists. I did not know if my best friend was alive. I looked through all the lists. I could not find his name anywhere. I was scared.

I got a duvet. I took off my wet socks. I was half naked. Got a jacket. I tried to phone some people. Contacted my parents again. My dad and brother were on their way to fetch me. I drank some cocoa. I sat down. Thought. Wept. So many friends. I hugged them. Wept.

I borrowed a computer. Updated Facebook and Twitter again to say that I was safe. I was at the hotel for several hours before my family came.

I looked for familiar sights. I talked to a priest. I told them everything I had seen. It was a good conversation. A man from the Red Cross saw all my wounds. Cleaned them.

Time passed. I was with some of my friends. We all talked about the same things: how we survived and 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. Ran out to them. Hugged my brother and my dad a long time. I wept 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 a long time . Both crying, we asked each other how we had managed.

After a while, I spoke again to the police and we drove home. Someone else came with us. My best friend was with me. His brother had brought his best friend.

Several people had gathered at my home. They would not leave until they had seen that I was fine. We talked a little bit. I drank juice. Ate a yogurt. Talked some more with my mum and my family. I called my best friend. It was a good conversation.

She said: "I was not sure if I would ever get this phone call." Tears started again. We talked a little bit. After that I lay down. It was 3am. Mum refused to let me sleep alone, so we slept together.

It has now been several hours since all this happened. I'm still in shock. Everything has not fallen into place.

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 am alive. God watched over me. There are so many emotions, so many thoughts. I think of all my family. Of all I lost. Of the hell that is - and was - on the island.

This summer's most beautiful fairy tale is transformed into Norway's worst nightmare.

Article from: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...es-witnessing-Utoya-massacre-on-her-blog.html

 

[KennyGS]

What an account.

 

[iluvmycsx]

scary

 

[dentrecords]

ack... people do horrible stuff. This won't solve anything. Ridiculously dumb...