Norway attacks: live coverage

Injured people lay on the ground at the site of an explosion near the government buildings in Norway's capital Oslo. Photograph: Holm Morten/AFP1.15pm: Breivik described himself as a "nationalist" and had posted many comments online criticising immigrants as well as Norwegian politicians whom he considered sympathised with them, Peter Beaumont writes.

Among those in the party surprised at Breivik's actions is Ove Vanebo, Progress Party youth leader, who told TV 2: "We are as surprised and sad like everyone else. No matter which party he has been a member of this is completely unacceptable. ... We did not think he was capable of something like that. He was apparently a quiet and modest man."

In other postings Breivik is clear of the nature of his notion of "idealism". He has described himself as a "nationalist" and written offensively of Somali immigrants with "full Norwegian passports" sitting at home on benefit and sending back money to the Islamist
Al-Shabab.

One target of Breivik's anger was former Norwegian prime minister, Gro Harlem Brundtland – a member of Norway's Labour Party – who had spoken to the youth camp on Utoya the day before the massacre.

What seems clear, however, from his online postings was that Breivik increasingly, perhaps, had a grandiose sense of himself. In one – attacking Brundtland – he predicted that Norwegians would soon no longer be "immune to inflated [political] rhetoric, while in a
solitary Twitter post a week before launching his attack, he paraphrased John Stuart Mill to write: "One person with belief is equal to the force of 100, 000 who have only interests."

1.09pm: My colleague Peter Beaumont has been examing what is known about Anders Behring Breivik, who has been arrested over yesterday's attacks.

One of the few who knew him, who have spoken so far, was an anonymous friend who told the Norwegian newspaper VG that Breivik had been a far right winger since at least his late twenties, when he had begun posting a series of controversial opinions on Facebook.

What has emerged so far paints a disturbing picture: a Christian fundamentalist with a deep hatred of multiculturalism in his country, of the left and of Muslims who had written disparagingly of prominent Norwegian politicians. A far of violent video games as well who some former neighbours have told Norwegian media had sometimes been seen in
"military-style" clothing.

In the pictures that have so far emerged of him Breivik appears well dressed, slender and clean-shaven, a picture of the young entrepreneur he wanted to be.

Breivik's businesses, however, were not much of a success, each one of them being dissolved after a short while after making a loss until he established his farm business in 2009 and moved out of Oslo.

But the man who listed Kafka and George Orwell's 1984 as his favourite books on Facebook, made little secret to the friends he had, or others on the Christian fundamentalist and far right websites that he frequented, of his racist views.

The darkest side of all was revealed not only in the killings but in how he undertook them, not least on the island teaming with several hundred teenagers, where wearing earplugs and a police uniform he calmly called over his victims to join him so he could begin his
executions.

A Freemason, reportedly a body builder and a hunter with two registered weapons – a Glock pistol and an automatic rifle - it has been Breivik's online profile that has, so far supplied the most public information.

Breivik was also a former "a youth member" of his country's conservative Progress Party – a party he criticised in one posting for embracing "multi-culturalism" and "political correctness" rather than taking an "idealistic stand". Despite that, those who knew him in the party then, described him as "calm and quiet", his extremism coming later.

12.54pm: The king, queen and crown prince of Norway, along with the with prime minister, are meeting relatives of the shooting victims at the Sundvollen hotel now, Neil Perry writes.

The Queen is hugging everyone and the King appears to be wiping away tears. In typical Norwegian style, it is all very unfussy and personal.

12.48pm: Frank Mersland, a journalist with FVN TV, says Anders Behring Breivik, who has been arrested over yesterday's attacks, has been linked to the anti-immigration Progress party.

He writes via email: "The suspect, Anders Behring Breivik, has been tagged as a former member of the right winged political party Frp (Progress party). It's the second largest political party in Norway and their main issues are lower taxes and a much stricter policy on immigration. The Frp-leader, Siv Jensen, verified his membership on Norwegian TV2 a little while ago."

12.44pm: Here's AP's report on the arrest of a man outside a hotel where Norway's prime minister was meeting families of Utoya shooting victims.

The man told reporters he was detained "because I have a knife."

The man, who appeared to be around 20 years old, was standing outside the hotel next to reporters when two officers apprehended him and led him to a police car.

The man told reporters he was a member of the Labor Party's youth wing and was carrying a knife "because I feel unsafe."

12.42pm: Around 19 victims of the Utoya shootings are having surgery for gunshot wounds, according to Norwegian media reports.

12.37pm: Journalist Liss Goril Anda says the attacks were "squarely aimed at the values Norwegians treasure most (...) openness, freedom of expression and feeling of safety."

You can read here comment on the BBC website here.

12.32pm: The second man was arrested outside the Sundvollen hotel, where prime minister Jens Stoltenberg is due to give a press conference about yesterday's attacks.

12.25pm: The Norwegian paper Dagbladet has more information about the man arrested in Sundvollen.

Neil Perry in Oslo has sent me this from the reports:

Police Inspector Einar Aas of Oslo police said that the police in Ringerike have arrested a man in Sundvollen.

The police threw themselves on him. He was then taken into a car and driven away.

When asked by reporters why he was armed, he said, "because there are so many weird people here. I do not trust anyone. "

Before the man was pushed into the police car, he stated that he was a member of the AUF (the Labour Party youth organisation), Dagbladet reporter Jonas Sverrison Rasch said.

The man was wearing shorts and t-shirt. He had dark hair. He smiled as he was led into the police car, according to TV2.

12.17pm: A second man has been arrested and taken into custody, according to Norwegian media reports.

It is reported that he had a knife on him.

Neil Perry in Oslo has sent through this update about the arrest:

"Police walked up to a young man stood in the street outside the hotel in Sundvollen where
the survivors have been taken and arrested him."

Here is an article (in Norwegian) about the arrest from the Norwegian Broadcasting Company, known as NRK.

12.11pm: Here's an edited version of PA's timeline of the attacks in Norway (times in BST).

Friday July 22:

1430: A loud explosion shatters windows and leads to evacuations of office buildings near the government headquarters in Oslo city centre. The buildings include the office of prime minister Jens Stoltenberg, who is soon confirmed to be safe, as he was working at home.

1545: There are reports that at least one person has been killed in the explosion.

1615: It is confirmed that the explosion was caused by a bomb.

1645: It is confirmed that there are injuries in addition to the death and some people are trapped at the bomb site.

1700: Police confirm two people are dead and 15 injured.

1745: Police say they are sending anti-terror police to a youth camp on an island outside Oslo after reports of a shooting there. The news site VG reports that a man dressed in a police uniform has opened fire at the camp at Utoya, and several people are injured.

1815: Norway Labour Party spokesman Per Gunnar Dahl says a man has been shooting at youths assembled for the party's annual youth camp at Utoya. Unconfirmed reports are that five people were hit. He says around 700 people, mostly teenagers aged 14 to 18, were assembled for the camp.

1835: It is reported that one person has been arrested after the youth camp shooting.

1850: Police say they suspect the two incidents in Norway are linked.

1900: It is confirmed that seven people died in the bomb blast.

1945: An eyewitness to the shootings says he saw more than 20 bodies.

2050: Police say the man arrested after the shooting is linked to the bombing in Oslo. It emerges that Stoltenberg had been due to speak at the summer camp on Saturday.

2055: Police say that nine or 10 people were killed in the shooting.

2150: Norway's justice minister says the gunman is Norwegian.

Saturday July 23:

0040: It emerges that bomb disposal teams are searching for unexploded devices on Utoya. A police source says there is at least one device at the camp which is being disarmed. The gunman is named in media reports as Norwegian Anders Behring Breivik, 32. The suspect is said to have acted alone, with no links to international terrorist organisations.

0250: At least 80 people were killed in the shooting, police say.

0450: Police say the suspect had right-wing and anti-Muslim views, but the motive for the attacks was unclear. They warn the death toll from the shootings could rise, and others are severely injured.

0850: The suspect posted on websites with Christian fundamentalist tendencies, police say. The man is co-operating with police and wants to explain himself, they add.
The death toll from the shooting stands at 84 and with the bombing it is 91.

12.05pm: AP has more dramatic eye-witness accounts of the shootings on Utoya:

A 15-year-old camper named Elise who was on Utoya said she heard gunshots, but then saw a police officer and thought she was safe. Then he started shooting people right before her eyes.

"I saw many dead people," said Elise. "He first shot people on the island. Afterward he started shooting people in the water."

Elise said she hid behind the same rock that the killer was standing on. "I could hear his breathing from the top of the rock," she said.

She said it was impossible to say how many minutes passed while she was waiting for him to stop.

At a hotel in the village of Sundvollen, where survivors of the shooting were taken, 21-year-old Dana Berzingi wore pants stained with blood. He said the fake police officer ordered people to come closer, then pulled weapons and ammunition from a bag and started shooting.

Several victims "had pretended they were dead to survive," Berzingi said. But after shooting the victims with one gun, the gunman shot them again in the head with a shotgun, he said.

"I lost several friends," said Berzingi, who used the cell phone of one of those friends to call police.

11.54am: Reuters has more about the suspect Anders Behring Breivik buying six tonnes (four tons) of fertiliser in May.

The suspect placed the order through his company, the supplier Felleskjopet said.

"These are goods that were delivered on May 4," Oddny Estenstad, a spokeswoman at agricultural supply chain Felleskjopet Agri, told Reuters, without giving the exact type of fertiliser purchased.

"It was 6 tonnes of fertiliser, which is a small, normal order for a standard agricultural producer."

"I do not know him or the company, except that it is a company that has contacted us in a normal manner and ordered fertiliser and had it delivered," she said.

11.46am: An link purported to show Anders Behring Breivik's Facebook page has been posted on Twitter.

We cannot verify the accuracy of this post.

11.41am: Felleskjopet, a farm supply chain, has said the suspect bought 6 tons of fertiliser on May 4, Reuters reports. This confirms earlier reports in the Norwegian media and on Twitter.

11.33am: Journalist Ketil B Stensrud has posted a comment from the Norwegian police regarding the reports of a second gunman>

He Tweeted: "We've just received the same information about a possible second shooter. We're working hard to determine if there is indeed a second shooter," the spokesman said to VG.

He has also posted a link to an article in the VG paper that mentions a second gunman.

11.27am: The Norwegian newspaper VG has interviewed witnesses of the Utoya shooting who believe there was a second gunman.

Norwegian journalist Ketil B Stensrud has Tweeted about the reports: "Utoya eye-witness: "I'm certain that I heard shooting from two different directions. Then I saw another man, about 180 cm tall."

11.17am: Here's the latest Guardian gallery of the Norway attacks.

11.03am: The Norwegian tabloid Dagbladet has posted footage from the rescue operation at Utoya on its website. Please be advised this footage does contain some graphic imagery.

10.55am: A survivor of the shooting on Utoya says their attacker shouted he would "kill everyone".

In a telephone interview with CNN, county registrar Adrian Pracon, from Skien, described how he and two others lay on the ground among the bodies and pretended to be dead.

I was perhaps seven feet away from him when he shouted that he would kill everyone, and everyone would die. He charged at me with a gun, but did not shoot. I could feel his breath. I could hear his shoes.

Pracon, who says he also saw the attacker chase his panic-stricken young victims, also described how he jumped into the water to escape from the carnage:

I had swallowed a lot of water, after I jumped in the water. I had no time to take off my clothes, and felt that I was heavy my clothes went down while I was swimming.

10.42am: Reuters has an interview with two people who came to the aid of shooting victims on the island of Utoya yesterday.

Lise Berit Aronsen and Ole Haugen, who were on holiday in Nes camp nearby, said they jumped into a boat when they heard about the shooting on the news.

The couple told the VG newspaper, they were met with shocking scenes. Aronsen said they were met by police and explained that they wanted to help. They went on to picked up four survivors from the water and 12 people who had sought safety in the caves and cliffs nearby.

We were told to find people in the water. The first thing we found were four children, two boys and two girls, who swam in the water. They shouted for help. They were powerless and could barely lift her arms.

There were people crying for help everywhere. We saw children who hid in caves and on cliffs. They dared not come out until we said that the person who shot was taken. Then they wept freely.

One of them we picked up had seen the person that shot. He stood on top of the cliffs, and fired those who were at or in the water.

One person had seen someone shot in the head, and we also saw several dead bodies in the water.

Because we had such a small boat, we could not take many with us at a time. We were there early, so it was frustrating, but fortunately there were several boats eventually.

It is absolutely unbelievable what has happened.

10.27am: Norwegian daily Verdens Gang has quoted a friend of the suspect Anders Behring Breivikis as saying he became a right-wing extremist in his late 20s.

The paper said he expressed strong nationalistic views in online debates and had been a strong opponent of the idea that people of different cultural backgrounds can live alongside each other.

Breivik's Facebook page appeared to have been blocked by late Friday, Reuters reports.

The news agency said it had listed interests including bodybuilding, conservative politics and freemasonry.

Norwegian media said Breivik had set up a Twitter account a few days ago.

There is only one post on it, dated July 17, saying: "One person with a belief is equal to the force of 100,000 who have only interests."

10.22am: The Queen has written to the King of Norway to express her shock and sadness at the attacks in his country, Buckingham Palace said today.

She said her and the Duke of Edinburgh's thoughts were with the Norwegian people.

Her message to King Harald read:

I am deeply saddened and shocked by the tragic loss of life of so many people on the island of Utoya and in Oslo.

Prince Philip joins me in extending our heartfelt sympathy to Your Majesty and the people of Norway. Our prayers and thoughts are with everyone who has been affected by the dreadful atrocity.

The Royal Norwegian Embassy in Belgrave Square, central London, was open today, its flag flying at half mast.

A spokesman said: "We're open for any Norwegians who might need someone to speak to or feel the need to be with someone."

But he said most Norwegians living in the UK are currently on holiday. The embassy has mainly been dealing with enquiries from Britons concerned about loved ones in Norway, he added.

Between 20,000 and 40,000 Norwegians are estimated to be either living or visiting the UK at any given time.

10.19am: The bombing of the government building in Oslo has already drawn comparison with Timothy McVeigh's attack on the Oklahoma City federal building 16 years ago.

The explosion at the Alfred P Murrah Federal Building on April 19, 1995 killed 168 people and injured more than 600.

The US Army veteran and security guard was 26 when he carried out the attack by detonating a lorry bomb outside the building. McVeigh was convicted on federal murder charges and executed in 2001.

10.13am: The twin attacks in Norway are the worst in Europe since the 2004 Madrid train bombings when 191 people were killed.

Prime minister Jens Stoltenberg said he knew many of the victims of the shooting on Utoya personally:

I know the young people and I know their parents. And what hurts more is that this place where I have been every summer since 1979, and where I have experienced joy, commitment and security, has been hit by brutal violence - a youth paradise has been transformed into a hell.

What happened at Utoya is a national tragedy. Not since World War Two has our country seen a greater crime.

10.10am: My colleague Peter Beaumont has more on the attacks, including reactions from survivors:

Survivors of the island attack, which took place barely two hours after a huge bomb was detonated close to the offices of Norway's prime minister, Jens Stoltenberg, described how the gunmen moved across the small, wooded Utoya holiday island on Friday firing at random as young people scattered in fear.

Teenagers at the lakeside camp organised by Stoltenberg's ruling Labour party fled screaming in panic, many leaping into the water or climbing trees to save themselves, when the attacker began spraying them with gunfire.

Witnesses and survivors of the island attack described scenes of horror and panic.

"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 said: "It was total chaos...I think several lost their lives as they tried to get over to the mainland.

"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.

"I saw some boats but I wasn't sure if I could trust them. I didn't know who I could trust any more."

"We had all gathered in the main house to talk about what had happened in Oslo. Suddenly we heard shots. First we thought it was nonsense.

Then everyone started running," one survivor, a 16-year-old called Hana, told Norway's Aftenposten.

"I saw a policeman stand there with earplugs. He said 'I'd like to gather everyone'. Then he ran in and started shooting at people. We ran down towards the beach and began to swim."

Hana said the gunman fired at people in the water.

You can read the full story here.

10.05am: The Norwegian police have released more details about their response to the attacks.

Police official Johan Fredriksen said a SWAT team was put on standby after a bombing in Oslo.

He added that it took the team around 30 minutes to arrive at the island of Utoyo after the shooting began.

Police initially said about 10 were killed at the forested camp on the island but that death toll rose considerably overnight.

Police director Oystein Maeland said the death toll could rise even more. He said others were severely wounded, but police didn't know how many were hurt.

10.00am: deputy police chief Roger Andresen said police are still searching for victims of the shooting on Utoya.

"At Utoya, the water is still being searched for more victims," he told a press conference.

9.50am: Norway has not changed its threat level after attacks on the capital and Utoya, said justice minister Knut Storberget.

But he told a news conference the situation was under assessment: "The debate on the threat level is ongoing."

9.43am: At a press conference this morning, Norwegian prime minister Jens Stoltenberg said he had spent many summers on the island of Utoya, which was hosting a youth retreat for his party.

Utoya is "my childhood paradise that yesterday was transformed into Hell," he said.

9.49am: David Cameron has expressed outrage over the attacks in Norway, and pledged Britain's help in overcoming the "evil" behind them.

Meanwhile Britons in Norway have been urged to stay indoors in the wake of the attacks.

Foreign Office travel advice warned there was a high threat from terrorism and called on British nationals to take extra care, PA reports:

In a statement on its website, the Foreign Office said: "On the afternoon of 22 July there was an explosion in the centre of Oslo resulting in a number of casualties.

"This was followed by a further attack at a youth camp on Utoya Island, 40km west of Oslo.

"We recommend that British nationals stay indoors for the time being. British nationals are advised to exercise caution, monitor local media reporting and follow advice given by the emergency services."

The Foreign Office said that although it had reviewed it, its overall level of travel advice had not changed and there were no travel restrictions in place in Norway.

About 250,000 British tourists visit the country every year.

9.23am: Deputy police chief Roger Andresen has told reporters that a suspect was in custody and being questioned over both attacks.

AP reports that the suspect, named by Norwegian national broadcaster NRK as Anders Behring Breivikis, is co-operating with the investigators:

Though police did not release his name, and said police searched his Oslo apartment overnight. NRK and other Norwegian media posted pictures of the blond, blue-eyed Norwegian.

"He is clear on the point that he wants to explain himself," said Andresen.

National police chief Sveinung Sponheim told NRK that the suspected gunman's Internet postings "suggest that he has some political traits directed toward the right, and anti-Muslim views, but whether that was a motivation for the actual act remains to be seen."

Andersen said the suspect posted on websites with Christian fundamentalist tendencies.

A police official said the suspect appears to have acted alone in both attacks, and that "it seems like this is not linked to any international terrorist organisations 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."

9.10am: This is David Batty bringing you the latest on the twin attacks in Norway yesterday in which at least 91 people have been confirmed killed.

• At least 84 people were shot dead by gunman at a youth summer camp on the island of Utoya, after an explosion at government buildings in Oslo killed at least seven. Many others have been injured.

• Police have charged Anders Behring Breivik, a 32-year-old Norwegian man, over both attacks. Oslo police say Breivik's website indicates he is a right-wing Christian fundamentalist.

• Norwegian prime minister Jens Stoltenberg, whose offices were among those badly hit by the Oslo bomb blast, said the attacks were "like a nightmare". He was due to have been on Utoya a few hours after the attacks began.

• Survivors of the Utoya shooting said the gunman shot his victims twice to make sure they were dead.

• Concerned relatives should call 004723132700.

The Guardian has a gallery of the attacks here.

You can follow me on Twitter at David_Batty.

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