Anders Behring Breivik
A Norwegian far-right terrorist who carried out the 2011 Norway attacks, killing 77 people in Oslo and on Utøya.
2011 Norway attacks: A terrorist bombing in Oslo and mass shooting on Utøya on 22 July 2011 that killed 77 people. Breivik carried out both attacks, which form the central case of his criminal history.
2083: A European Declaration of Independence: A lengthy political manifesto Breivik published online on the day of the 2011 attacks. It presented his ideological rationale and described preparations for violence.
Gjørv Commission: The Norwegian commission that investigated the authorities’ response to the 2011 attacks. Its 2012 report identified failures in prevention, policing, and emergency response.
Forensic psychiatry: The application of psychiatric knowledge to legal questions and proceedings. Experts assessed Breivik’s mental state to inform the trial’s central legal dispute.
Oslo government quarter bombing: The 2011 bombing of government buildings in central Oslo, which killed eight people. Breivik detonated a van bomb there before traveling to Utøya.
Terrorism: The use or threat of violence to intimidate a population or influence political decisions. Breivik’s attacks were intended to terrorize and reshape Norwegian politics.
Norwegian Police Security Service: Norway’s domestic security service, responsible for countering threats including terrorism. The attacks intensified scrutiny of its threat assessment and preventive capacity.
Schizophrenia: A psychiatric disorder involving disruptions in thought, perception, emotion, and behavior. One assessment diagnosed Breivik with paranoid schizophrenia; a later assessment did not.
Utøya massacre: The 2011 mass shooting on the Norwegian island of Utøya, where 69 people were killed. Breivik carried out the shooting after the Oslo bombing.
Far-right politics: Political movements emphasizing hierarchy, nationalism, and exclusionary definitions of national belonging. Breivik framed his violence through far-right nationalist and anti-immigration claims.