Norwegian Gunman Played Video Games to Prep for Massacre

Posted April 19th, 2012 at 6:40 am (UTC-5)
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The gunman on trial for killing 77 people in Norway last year says he prepared for his assault by playing video games and thought there was little chance he would escape.

Thirty-three-year-old Anders Behring Breivik appeared in an Oslo court Thursday for day four of his trial, foregoing his so-called “clenched fist” or “far right salute.” Lawyers representing the victims and their families had objected to the gesture Wednesday.

Breivik, dressed in a black suit, white shirt and black tie, told the court he had been planning a larger attack for several years before pulling off last year's incident. He then said he expected to be confronted by police after setting off the bomb in Oslo, giving himself just a 5 percent chance of surviving.

He also accused prosecutors of trying to ridicule him.

Breivik, who has anti-Islamist beliefs, has admitted killing 77 people in attacks last July. But he has pleaded not guilty to terrorism and murder charges, saying he acted in self-defense.

Eight people died in a car bombing in Oslo, and 69 people were shot to death at a youth camp organized by the ruling Labor party.

Earlier this week, Breivik described the killings as a “preventative” act to avoid a wider civil war, saying he would do it all over again. He said he was defending his country by carrying out the attacks.

He told the court that he “carried out the most sophisticated and spectacular political attack committed in Europe since the Second World War.”

Norway does not have the death penalty, but Breivik could face life in prison or in a mental facility.