Oslo, Norway — Norwegian massacre suspect Anders Behring Breivik was “a little bit surprised” that he was able to pull off a bombing and shooting rampage in which he is accused of killing 76 people in total, his lawyer said Tuesday.
His client was surprised that his plan “succeeded — succeeded in his mind,” attorney Geir Lippestad said at a news conference, adding that Breivik didn’t expect to reach Utoya Island, where he is accused of shooting 68 people dead Friday.
Breivik also used drugs before the attacks Friday that were designed to keep him strong and awake, his attorney said.
Lippestad said it was too early to say if Breivik will plead insanity. Asked if his client was insane, he responded: “Yes, he may be.”
He added: “This whole case indicates that he’s insane.”
Lippestad said it was “very difficult” to describe Breivik’s manner — “he is not like anyone.”
Norwegian police released the first four names of victims of Friday’s terror attacks Tuesday afternoon.
Three of the four identified were killed in a bombing outside government offices in Oslo, in which eight people died. They were Tove Ashill Knutsen, 56, Hanna Orvik Endresen, 61, and Kai Hauge, 32. The fourth, named as 23-year-old Gunnar Linaker, died on Utoya island.
The police said they would post an update at 6 p.m. every day, until all the victims have been identified. Their families will be notified first.
Lippestad said Breivik had told him he was in touch with two terror cells in Norway and in contact with other cells abroad, but that he acted alone in carrying out the attack on Utoya and the Oslo bombing.
“He says there are several cells around the western world — where, I do not know,” Lippestad said. Breivik is cooperating with police inquiries, “but he won’t talk about the other cells,” he added.
His client considers himself to be “in a war,” Lippestad said. He believes his client can get a fair trial, he added.
The police declined to say how many people are still missing, saying the number was still subject to change. They have said in the past that they were searching for four or five people.
Forensic scientists are still searching Utoya for clues, and the island will remain closed to the public for at least two weeks, Norwegian Police Chief Sveinung Sponheim said.
Other countries are involved in the Norwegian investigation into last week’s attacks, police said in response to a question about Breivik’s claim to have been in contact with terror cells abroad. They declined to name the other countries, saying “the investigation is in Norway.”
They also declined to say where Breivik is being held.
Prosecutors are considering charging Breivik with crimes against humanity, according to police. He is facing terror-related charges that carry a maximum 21-year sentence.
Geert Wilders, a Dutch politician whose Freedom Party is referenced in a manifesto apparently written by Breivik, condemned the suspect’s alleged actions Tuesday. Wilders said he was not “responsible for a lone idiot who twisted the freedom-loving anti-Islamization ideals” of his party.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden visited the Norwegian ambassador’s residence in Washington Tuesday to “offer condolences to the people of Norway after the tragic killings that occurred last week,” according to a White House statement.
Earlier, Breivik’s father said his son should have killed himself instead of allegedly going on the killing spree.
“In my darkest moments, I think that rather than killing all those people, he should have taken his own life,” Jens Breivik said in an interview with Norway’s TV2. He said he also believes his son has mental issues.
“He must be. He must be,” the father said in response to a reporter’s question about whether he thought his son was mentally ill.
“There is no other way to explain it. A normal person would never do such a thing.”
Breivik’s father had a message for all the victims during his interview.
“I would like to say that I feel an incredible grief and despair over what has happened. I often think of how terrible it must be for those who are affected by this. I wish I could do something for them, but here I am, powerless to do anything,” the father said.
Lippestad said Breivik does not know what his father said. He said he does not know if any of Breivik’s family members have asked to see him.
Breivik’s father, who was interviewed at his home in France, said he would not be visiting his son as the legal process continues.
“No. I will never have more contact with him,” he told TV2.
The suspect’s father was one of many people searching for answers Tuesday after the mass killings that terrorized Norway last week.
Authorities revised the death toll from Friday’s attacks to 76 on Monday — eight from the bombing at the Oslo building that houses Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg’s offices and 68 at the island summer camp run by his ruling Labour Party.
At a news conference Tuesday, hotelier Petter Stordalen pledged to give 5 million kroner ($923,000) to rebuild Utoya Island.
He promised it would be “a new Utoya, a Utoya for everyone. It’s been a summer camp for the Labour Party, now it’s to be an island for everyone.”
Eskil Peterson, a leader of the Labour Party’s youth movement, the AUF, said the party had first been shocked and now was mourning those killed. That sorrow will intensify when police release the identities of all those killed, he said.
“When we see those names, it will be heartbreaking for everybody,” he said.
The 32-year-old suspect acknowledged carrying out the attacks but said they were necessary to prevent the “colonization” of the country by Muslims, a judge said Monday.
Breivik accused the Labour Party of “treason” for promoting multiculturalism, Judge Kim Heger said after a closed hearing Monday.
According to Heger, Breivik also said that he worked with two cells to launch the attacks, the deadliest onslaught in Norway since World War II. Police refused to comment on the claim, but a police official said Breivik appeared to be “very calm” during his hearing.
Almost 200,000 people participated in a memorial Monday in downtown Oslo to honor the victims, authorities said. Trains were halted as part of a nationwide observance, and Oslo Mayor Fabian Stang said the turnout showed that Norwegians do not accept violence.
Breivik hates democracy and all who believe in it, his lawyer said Tuesday. He added that his client felt the rest of the world didn’t understand his point of view but that they would in 60 years’ time.
He is undergoing a medical examination, Lippestad told reporters. Breivik is now “very tired” because of his circumstances, he said, but he was not injured when he was taken into police custody.
Marit Andersen said she knew Breivik in high school and described him as an entertainer who had friends and was quite successful in school. Andersen said she later saw Breivik’s views change.
“Later, it became more extreme, and I remember after we all got on Facebook, I became friends with him there,” Andersen said. “He had some rather outrageous statements there. I had commented on something he said. … I said you can’t say stuff like that. It’s unacceptable.”
