Bob CollinsThere’s a suspect in the horrible shootings on Norway’s Utoeya island in which at least 80 people are said to have been killed. He’s not an Islamic militant (the stereotype of the terrorist as portrayed by the early speculation); he’s a Norwegian Christian.
Anders Behring Breivik, 32, reportedly acted alone in the shooting and the earlier bombing in Oslo.
He’s got a Twitter account with one tweet he made last week:
For some reason, 518 people are following Breivik on Twitter.
Mashable says the man also had a Facebook page, but it’s been removed:
In Breivik’s Facebook account, now removed, the suspect identifies himself as a Christian conservative. However, that was far from his only interest. Breivik also listed himself as a fan of World of Warcraft, Modern Warfare 2, bodybuilding and stock analysis. The account, which appeared to have only been started last week, was mostly filled with music videos. Breivik, who listed himself as single, said he had completed “3,000 hours of study in micro and macro finance, religion.”
Reuters says the man’s arrest may signal new fears that right-wing extremists will be a growing threat in Europe:
“If true this would be pretty significant – such a far-right attack in Europe, and certainly Scandinavia, would be unprecedented,” said Hagai Segal, a security specialist at New York University in London.
“It would be the European/Scandinavian equivalent of Oklahoma City – an attack by a individual (with extremist anti-government views, linked to certain groups) aimed at the government by attacking its buildings/institutions.”
Prior to the 9/11 attacks nearly 10 years ago, the threat of domestic extremist groups was the number-one security concern in the United States, too. Terrorism can be its most terrifying when the perpetrator looks like you.
