The First 48 Killing Spree

Faces of hatred: Norway mass killer's life laid bare

The killer was vainglorious, lethal, meticulous and utterly callous. He was also desperate for the world to know exactly who he was and why he had decided to embark on such a brutal killing spree.

Norway got a glimpse into the mind of a mass murderer yesterday as an extraordinary manifesto by Anders Behring Breivik emerged on the internet detailing a massacre eight years in the making.

The appearance of the 1,500-page document, which Breivik placed online before embarking on Friday's devastating attack, came as forensic investigators sifted through the buildings of a farm two hours' drive north of Oslo. It is believed the 32-year-old secretly built a car bomb there that tore the heart out of Oslo and heralded the beginning of Norway's worst day of violence since the Second World War.

According to his lawyer, Geir Lippestad, Breivik has admitted masterminding Friday's attacks, but believes he has done nothing wrong. "He thought it was gruesome having to commit these acts, but in his head they were necessary," said Mr Lippestad, adding that his client would explain his actions when he appears in court today charged with two counts of terrorism.

As the death toll from the Utoya massacre rose by one to 86, adding to the seven killed in the Oslo bomb blast, the people of Norway focused on remembering those they had lost. Makeshift shrines and flowers sprang up across the city and mourners filed into Oslo cathedral accompanied by their King and Queen.

Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg spoke on behalf of his traumatised nation: "We are still struggling to get to grips with the dimension of what has happened," he said. "Many of us know people that have been killed. And many more have second-hand acquaintance with someone that was killed."

The loss of 93 people is a tragedy wherever it happens. But in a country of just 4.9 million, it is a collective catastrophe. As mourners embraced each other next to the growing sea of flowers outside the church, forensic investigators – including explosive specialists from the military – continued their investigations of Breivik's bomb factory. The farm sits on the outskirts of Asta Oest, a quintessentially Norwegian village which lies at the bottom of a flat valley cut in half by a roaring river. Nestled behind a thick row of deciduous trees, Breivik's farm – complete with a postbox still bearing his name – is made up of a string of traditional red, wooden farm buildings. The little white farmhouse, with its wooden porch, overlooks the river and mountains beyond. It was in these buildings that he put the finishing touches to his murderous plans.

'Project Runway': Blood on the catwalk - Pedro and the Watcher ...

Excellent post, Watcher! Bert is my favorite, but not because he’s older than you (or me). He’s kind of the underdog since he’s been out of fashion for so long, and his back-story is heart wrenching. I was pulling for him from the start and I’m so happy he won the challenge.

I was disappointed that they didn’t go to Mooood.

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