Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in twin attacks in Norway last July, was Wednesday charged with committing acts of terror, prosecutors said as they presented the formal indictment. The 33-year-old right-wing extremist “has committed extremely serious offences on a scale that has never previously been experienced in our country in modern times,” the 19-page indictment read. The charges carry a penalty of up to 21 years in prison, although a provision may enable the term to be extended for as long as he is considered a danger to society. The prosecution meanwhile said it was prepared at this stage to pursue the case on the premise that Behring Breivik was criminally insane and therefore not responsible for his acts, and as such is calling for him to be sentenced to confinement in a psychiatric ward.
But it reserved the right to alter that view if new elements emerged about his mental health by the end of the trial. Police read the charges to Behring Breivik on Wednesday morning at the high security Ila prison outside Oslo where he is being held pending the beginning of his trial on April 16. Afterwards, police officer Tore Jo Nilsen told reporters gathered outside the prison that the confessed killer had been “completely calm” during the 30 minutes it took to read the charges.