Breivik's main lawyer, Geir Lippestad, told reporters he appeared to have cried over his feelings that his attacks last July were "cruel but necessary … to save Europe from an ongoing war. Those were the feelings he was having."

The 33-year-old right-wing extremist showed little emotion during the first day of his trial even as the prosecution listed in detail how each of the 77 people he killed in twin attacks last July 22 died.

But when the prosecution showed his 12-minute film — a short version of the 1,500-page manifesto he posted online shortly before the attacks showing still shots with ideological messages set to music — his eyes briefly welled up and he wiped away tears.

Broadcaster TV2 Nyhetskanalen, which said it had used lip-reading to interpret a discussion between Breivik and another of his lawyers, Vibeke Hein Baere, after his tears, reported he confided to her that it was an "emotional film."

"It's OK, it's fine. It's just that it's an emotional film," he reportedly said.

At a press conference after the first trial day ended, Hein Baere refused to confirm the comments.