Giant Blast and Summer Camp Shooting In and Around Oslo, Norway

[agzg]

Link

From the Live Feed:

[10 a.m. ET, 4 p.m. Oslo] An explosion rocked a part of central Oslo, Norway, on Friday, state TV reported. State TV broadcaster NRK said on its website that windows in several buildings had been blown out and people were in the street bleeding. News reports suggest the government building has been affected.

[Update: 10:11 a.m. ET, 4: 11 p.m Oslo] A second blast was heard in central Oslo shortly after an initial explosion rocked the city, a reporter for Norwegian state broadcaster NRK told CNN Friday. Linda Reinholdsen said there was a state of confusion in the city and several government buildings were affected.

[Update: 11:03 a.m. ET, 5:03 p.m. Oslo] Norwegian state broadcaster NRK says at least one person has died after a huge explosion rocked the center of the capital, Oslo. Dozens more are being treated in hospitals, NRK said, and all roads leading to the center of Oslo have been blocked.

[Update: 11:21 a.m. ET, 5:21 p.m. Oslo] Hans Kristian Amundsen, state secretary of Norway, said the country's prime minister was safe and working at an undisclosed location.

Update: 12:48 p.m. ET, 6:48 p.m. Oslo] Shots were fired at an Oslo youth meeting following the blast, police told Reuters, quoted by CNN TV. No further details were available.

A reporter with State TV broadcaster NRK is reporting that there is mass confusion within the city. The cause of the blast remains unknown, and no one has claimed responsibility.

CNN terrorism analyst Paul Cruickshank said it was far too early to draw any conclusions on whether it was terrorism and who would carry it out. But, he said, by looking at the extent of the damage, it was plain to see the hallmarks of a major attack.

Cruickshank said that in recent months, there had been increased "chatter" about Norway, which had been investigating militants suspected of being linked to al Qaeda.

Norway also drew the ire of al Qaeda for publishing the controversial political cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed that appeared in a Danish newspaper and sparked outrage in the militant Islamic community.

The Scandinavian country also plays a part in NATO's operation in Afghanistan, and now, in Libya.

Norway has been largely spared from terrorism. But last December, an attempted suicide bombing in Stockholm shocked neighboring Sweden.

In July of last year, Norwegian authorities announced the arrests of three suspects in connection with an investigation into terrorist plots in New York and the United Kingdom.

The three were suspected of plotting terrorist attacks and having connections to al Qaeda, the prime minister's office said at the time.

Stoltenberg, who has been prime minister since October 2005, heads a coalition government made up of the Labour Party, the Socialist Left Party and the Centre Party.

[IrishLake]

Will this ever end?

[VandalSquirrel]

Most recent information is that the bomber/shooter is an ethnic Norwegian and this is homegrown and domestic. I'm not at all surprised it was an ethnic Norwegian who is a citizen, considering a lot of the right wing ideas and ethnocentric groups and ideas that exist in Scandinavia, as well as the US. I would have been very surprised if it had been performed and/or claimed by any terrorist group related to Islamic extremists.

My family lives on the western coast, north of Bergen, and don't often go to Oslo so I wasn't too concerned about their safety, but I was relieved to hear everyone was fine and at home. They are in shock and I don't blame them as this is one of the first and the worst incidents since WWII, whereas I've lived through the events and trials of Oklahoma City, Columbine, 1996 Olympics, September 11th, and the previous WTC bombing, and most recently the attempted bombing of the MLK Jr. march in Spokane last January, that something like this is obviously horrifying, but not out of my realm of consciousness. Within a smaller nation with more a more homogeneous culture I can't imagine what would be more terrifying; having an outsider do this or one of your own.

[SWTXBelle]

Reporting 80 dead in the camp shooting.

80.

It is just too horrible - reminds me of VT.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cscq-kCFHro

[christiangirl]

I was reading about this on Yahoo! News this morning and the number for the camp was 85, possibly 92 when you ad in those who died in the building. The accounts of the young (18-21yo) witnesses were stomach-turning. I think one of the articles said this incident (the camp) is the largest number of victims by a single shooter.

[PiKA2001]

The fact that this one man was able to shoot dead 85 people is just mind numbing. I almost can't believe it.

[VandalSquirrel]

Originally Posted by PiKA2001

The fact that this one man was able to shoot dead 85 people is just mind numbing. I almost can't believe it.

He was dressed like a police officer and used that to lure more victims out into the open. One survivor reported that he would call to the youth and say he would protect them as he was the police (and looked like it) then shoot everyone running towards him for safety. He also shot those fleeing by swimming in the water towards boats or other islands, so more victims may be added to the number when bodies are found or surfaced.

[christiangirl]

I was watching Captain America today and when I saw that it opens up in Norway, I felt a little twinge of sadness.

The families and friends of the deceased are still in my prayers. I'm still in just as much disbelief as I was when I first heard.

[VandalSquirrel]

I've been talking to my family a lot and one member is married to an American but has been living in Norway for over a decade. It is really hard to see this happen at all, but to see this happen to a group of young people, essentially the future of the country and even more so that the perp is someone many held something in common with, being a Norwegian farmer who completed military service.

I'm still bothered by the initial reaction and comments (via facebook ) blaming Islam and Muslim and some really hateful and obviously incorrect things were said, especially since Anders is a white Christian Norwegian male. It has been said his m.o. was his response to Islam, and some backtracked saying Islam and Muslims were still the problem (sigh), but their ignorance and prejudice was obvious to me. I don't expect people without a stake or relationship to Scandinavia or Northern Europe to be aware of the rise of white hate groups, but many of the commentators I had a problem with live in these places and know.

A quick news snippet I read on my phone's news feed yesterday said he would only be in jail for (approximately) 22 or so years and that made me sick and angry. I don't believe in the death penalty, and the USA is the only "Western" nation that has it, but I can't swallow that this person who has abnormal thought patterns and actions will get out some day.

ETA: People have told me they think I'm crazy to consider doing my field research in Norway/Sweden because this happened, but there could also be future "terrorist" attacks. For the record I consider this man a terrorist but the gist of people has been of the Al Qaeda variety of terrorist. I actually feel like there is more of a chance of something happening to me domestically, especially after being in Spokane with the bomb planted at the MLK Jr. parade/march last January. Overall I'm more concerned about random US violence than I'd ever be in rural Scandinavia and with the economy keeping funding to do what I need to do.

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by VandalSquirrel

I've been talking to my family a lot and one member is married to an American but has been living in Norway for over a decade. It is really hard to see this happen at all, but to see this happen to a group of young people, essentially the future of the country and even more so that the perp is someone many held something in common with, being a Norwegian farmer who completed military service.

I'm still bothered by the initial reaction and comments (via facebook ) blaming Islam and Muslim and some really hateful and obviously incorrect things were said, especially since Anders is a white Christian Norwegian male. It has been said his m.o. was his response to Islam, and some backtracked saying Islam and Muslims were still the problem (sigh), but their ignorance and prejudice was obvious to me. I don't expect people without a stake or relationship to Scandinavia or Northern Europe to be aware of the rise of white hate groups, but many of the commentators I had a problem with live in these places and know.

A quick news snippet I read on my phone's news feed yesterday said he would only be in jail for (approximately) 22 or so years and that made me sick and angry. I don't believe in the death penalty, and the USA is the only "Western" nation that has it, but I can't swallow that this person who has abnormal thought patterns and actions will get out some day.

ETA: People have told me they think I'm crazy to consider doing my field research in Norway/Sweden because this happened, but there could also be future "terrorist" attacks. For the record I consider this man a terrorist but the gist of people has been of the Al Qaeda variety of terrorist. I actually feel like there is more of a chance of something happening to me domestically, especially after being in Spokane with the bomb planted at the MLK Jr. parade/march last January. Overall I'm more concerned about random US violence than I'd ever be in rural Scandinavia and with the economy keeping funding to do what I need to do.

I've also read that they have the ability to lengthen the sentence if it's felt that the perpetrator is at risk for repeating the offense. I have a sense that this sentence would be lengthened when he finally goes through the system.

[VandalSquirrel]

Originally Posted by AOII Angel

I've also read that they have the ability to lengthen the sentence if it's felt that the perpetrator is at risk for repeating the offense. I have a sense that this sentence would be lengthened when he finally goes through the system.

I read some other things about 21 being a base and that laws or other situations can be changed for this crime. If the shootings and the bombing were seen as separate acts that could possibly be 40+ years and he'd be over 70 by then.

http://www.npr.org/2011/07/25/138682...-justice?ps=rs

So anyone else read about Glenn Beck using the analogy of the camp to the Hitler Youth? From his own website http://www.glennbeck.com/2011/07/25/...conservatives/ he starts about 30 seconds or so in and the Hitler Youth comment is about 0:40. he then goes on saying he warned people this was going to happen.

Anders Behring Breivik's biological father said to TV2 that he wished his son would have taken his own life http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/n...acks-shootings I can't imagine that kind of pain.

[DrPhil]

This has really been bothering me. Speechless. God bless them. I won't give the murderer infamy/fame by mentioning his name.

I was on my Fox News Geraldo-at-Large kick this weekend and they were talking about this tragedy. I can't find that clip of the episode on their site. There was a point when the potential victims realized this murderer wasn't really a police officer. He was able to not only shoot people who were running towards him, shoot people running away from him, shoot people in the water, and re-shoot people to make sure they're dead. I am paraphrasing but a guest was saying something to the effect of how shocking, yet not that uncommon, it is that 1 person is able to kill so many people. There is one person that I have read about who was able to pretend that she was dead; and at least one person who was able to save others' lives. But, what tends not to happen in such tragedies is people coming together (whatever that means in each situation) to stop the mass murderer in his/her tracks. 20+ people seem more powerful than 1 person at the surface-level but the shock of this makes it more complex than that.

[Tulip86]

There was an item on the news about the fishermen out on the water who heard the screaming and saved a lot of the kids that were in the water. The killer shot at the fishermen as well but they kept dragging the kids out of the water.