The mother of Anders Behring Breivik, the self-confessed perpetrator of last week’s twin terror attacks in Norway, is "shocked and devastated" over her son's violence and "does not understand that her son may have done these things," a Norwegian prosecutor has said.
The prosecutor, Paal-Fredrik Hjort Kraby, said Breivik’s mother was questioned shortly after the attacks on July 22 in which 77 people were killed.
"She does not understand that her son may have done these things," Kraby told the Swedish newspaper Expressen, adding that the woman was offered psychological help.
Breivik, a 32-year-old anti-Muslim activist, who had admitted to shooting dead 69 people at an island youth camp after killing 8 with a car bomb in Oslo, said his actions were intended to "save Norway and Western Europe" from a "Muslim takeover." If convicted, he could be jailed for up to 30 years.
Several Facebook pages have been created supporting Breivik's mother. One, For Behring's Mom & family, which has over 70,000 members, says: "You should know what we think of you, you are also one of the relatives. You are also one of the victims, you are also one of those that must be treated with more care, more love and thoughtfulness."
Breivik's father, Jens Breivik, 76, who had no contact with his son since Anders was 15 years old, recently told Norwegian channel TV2 that he never wanted to see his son again and that he should have committed suicide.
Meanwhile, a Twitter account attributed to Breivik has been seized by a Norwegian hacker group, Anonymous Norway.
"We want Anders to be forgotten. Labels like "monster," or "maniac" won't do either. Media should call him pathetic; a nothing," the collective said in a posting on @AndersBBreivik.
"This twitter account will be deleted soon. Forget Anders," they finished.
