Tens of Thousands of Norwegians Rally to Remember Attack Victims

Posted July 25th, 2011 at 3:50 pm (UTC-5)
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More than 100,000 Norwegians have rallied in the capital, Oslo, in a tribute to at least 76 people killed by a Norwegian ultranationalist in shooting and bomb attacks last Friday.

Many participants in Monday's rally held white and red roses as they walked through the center of the Norwegian capital, still reeling from the country's deadliest violence since World War II.

Earlier Monday, thousands of people bowed their heads in silence outside Oslo's main university in a memorial ceremony led by Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg and Norway's king and queen.

Police significantly reduced the number of people confirmed dead in the attacks to 76, saying the earlier death toll of 93 was inflated due to confusion at the attack sites. But, several people remain missing and officials said the casualty figures could change again.

Thirty-two-year-old gunman Anders Behring Breivik is suspected of killing at least 68 people on the southern island of Utoeya, where hundreds of youths had gathered for a summer camp organized by the ruling Labor Party. He was detained on Utoeya and later confessed to the shooting and a car bombing that killed eight people in Oslo's government district earlier in the day.

Breivik made his first court appearance at a closed hearing in Oslo on Monday. After the hearing, the judge said Breivik denied committing any crime and claimed to be on a mission to “save Europe” from a Muslim takeover. Breivik also accused Mr. Stoltenberg's Labor Party of betraying Norwegian culture by encouraging immigration.

The court ordered Breivik to be detained for eight weeks, including solitary confinement for the first four weeks. The judge said the detention is necessary to prevent the suspect from interfering with the police investigation. The judge also said authorities will investigate Breivik's claim to be part of a network with two other cells.

Prosecutors say Breivik acknowledged that he is likely to spend the rest of his life in prison.