Social Media

Norway Attacks: Suspect's Social Media Trail Examined


As the death toll mounts in the most horrific violence Norway has seen since World War II, local police have arrested the suspected perpetrator of both the bombing and the shooting at a children's summer camp. His name is Anders Behring Breivik, a 32-year-old man reportedly spotted at the scene of the bombing. Police believe he was acting alone.

According to multiple news reports in Norway and Sweden, Brievik belonged to Oslo's extreme right wing. He was a frequent poster in Norwegian right-wing online forums, the accounts said, and had two guns registered to his name. He also appears to have launched a social media presence just days before the attacks.


Breivik appears to have started a Twitter account on the same day as he launched his Facebook presence, July 17. The account, which has not been removed, has just one tweet to its name. It's a quote from the philosopher John Stuart Mill: "One person with a belief is equal to the force of 100 000 who have only interests."

The attacks may well have been politically motivated. The bombing took place outside a building where the Prime Minister, who wasn't present, has an office. And the purpose of the summer camp on the island of Utoya was to teach teenagers about politics.

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