Norwegian mass killer Breivik should not be released, says prosecutor

Anders Behring Breivik, the Norwegian mass murderer behind the country's worst peacetime atrocity, should not be released and remains dangerous, a prosecutor said, as Breivik appeared in court on Tuesday seeking release after over 13 years in prison.

The neo-Nazi killed 77 people in July 2011. He killed eight with a car bomb in Oslo and then gunned down 69, most of them teenagers, at a Labour Party youth camp on Utoeya island.

It is Breivik's second attempt at parole. He is serving a 21-year sentence, the maximum penalty at the time of his crimes, which can be extended for as long as he is deemed a threat to society.

Prosecutor Hulda Karlsdottir told the court he should not be released.

"Is there a danger Breivik will commit crimes against life and health again? The danger is real," she said, adding that a fresh risk assessment report concluded the risk of Breivik being violent again remained the same as before.

Breivik, 45, wearing a dark suit, white shirt and brown tie sat impassively as she spoke. The right part of his head was shaved to form the letter "Z".

It was unclear what the symbol represented for Breivik. The letter "Z" has been a symbol of support for Russia's war in Ukraine.

The latest parole application is being heard at the high-security prison where he is held, set on the shore of the Tyrifjorden lake, where Utoeya also lies. The court is set up in the prison's gymnasium. Breivik is scheduled testify from 1300 CET (1200 GMT).

Merete Stamneshagen, whose 18-year-old daughter Silje was murdered by Breivik at Utoeya, said Breivik's attempt at parole was difficult to live with for the relatives of his victims, the sixth occasion where Breivik appeared in court.

"This brings us right back to 2011," she told Reuters from a court room in Sandvika, a suburb of Oslo, where proceedings were being broadcast.

"It is a constant reminder," said Stamneshagen, who sits on the board of the group representing victims of Breivik and their relatives. "(But) this is how our justice system works and we must respect it."

Local media at the prison did not show the message Breivik had written on an A4 sheet of paper when entering the court, only reporting that it was a political message.

Asked by a reporter whether he regretted his crimes, Breivik declined to answer.

Breivik's first attempt at release, in 2022, was unsuccessful. At that hearing, Breivik argued he had put violence behind him but did not renounce his neo-Nazi sympathies, saying merely he would continue his fight for white supremacy through peaceful means.

Separately, Breivik has tried to sue the Norwegian state to improve his prison conditions, arguing that being held in isolation violates his human rights.

His latest attempt to change the terms of his detention, in January, was rejected. Breivik's appeal will be heard in December.