Norway gunman wants Japanese psychiatrist: Lawyer
"My client has expressed a wish for a Japanese expert. This wish has to do with the concept of honour. He believes that a Japanese person will understand him better than someone from Europe," defence lawyer Geir Lippestad told financial daily Dagens Naeringsliv.
Two Norwegian psychiatrists have been tasked with evaluating the mental state of 32-year-old rightwing extremist and confessed killer Anders Behring Breivik.
(Read: The lethal son of Islamophobes)
They are set to make their recommendation by November 1 of whether he is sane enough to be tried for the attacks that killed 77 people and injured dozens of others.
"He has not said anything to me about refusing to talk to them," Lippestad stressed in the Dagens Naeringsliv interview.
Thomas Hegghammer, a Norwegian expert on terrorism and Islamic extremism, told AFP in a recent interview that Behring Breivik's 1,500-page manifesto detailing his "crusade" against a "Muslim invasion" of Europe, showed he was fascinated by the Japanese and Korean cultures.
(Read: Oslo attacker feared ‘Pakistanisation’ of Europe)
Based on the initial information available about Behring Breivik's reasoning and personality, several psychiatrists told AFP he was probably sane enough to be held accountable for his actions, meaning he could be tried and sentenced to prison instead of being locked up in a mental institution.
According to existing laws, he could be sentenced to up to 21 years behind bars if found guilty of "terrorism," although the sentence could be stretched to 30 years if he is also found guilty of "crimes against humanity."
On the afternoon of July 22, Behring Breivik first bombed government offices in Oslo, killing eight people, before going on an 80-minute shooting rampage on the nearby island of Utoeya, where the ruling Labour Party was holding a youth summer camp, killing another 69 people, most of them teenagers.
(Read: Oslo's many stories)
COMMENTS (10)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
1731439606-0/Trump-(3)1731439606-0-165x106.webp "article")
does he wants fries with this?
@Ali
I thought only Indians are obsessed about Pakistan/Pakistanis.
Interesting and fascinating, a Norwegian killer wants a Japanese psychiatrist.
hahahaha japene kamakazieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Look at that steely stare! There is only one way to counter it: stare him down. As far as the choice of Japanese psychiatrist is concerned, I am afraid they may not be able to find one today. Had these been the days before or during WWII, there were many a looney like him roaming the streets of Japan. But those two "fatboys" that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki "cured" them all. Japanese psychiatrists today would have no experience dealing with scum like him now for a long time.
He should be put in the same cell with Ajmal Qadri. I think both will find themselves agreeing on moral values.
Hey Breivik, ask for an Indian one, they can tell you how to spin this onto Pakistanis!
way to embarrass the Japanese
Plz rectify the headline from Norway gunman to Norway terrorist.....