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BREIVIK

Breivik has Asperger’s and Tourette’s: expert

A Norwegian psychiatrist proposed another diagnosis for gunman Anders Behring Breivik on Friday, adding to the confusion over the extremist's mental state after two teams reached contradictory opinions.

Breivik has Asperger's and Tourette's: expert
Photo: Heiko Junge/Scanpix (File)

Ulrik Fredrik Malt, a psychiatry professor at the University of Oslo, said the 33-year-old Breivik was suffering from Asperger's syndrome, Tourette's syndrome and narcissistic personality disorder, but was likely not psychotic.

The question of Breivik's sanity is key to his ongoing trial. Though judges are certain to find him guilty, they must decide if he was criminally sane or not.

Their decision would affect whether he gets mental treatment in a secure psychiatric facility.

Asperger's is a developmental disorder on the autistic spectrum that often is characterized by a lack of empathy. Tourette's is a neurological disorder marked by tics and verbal outbursts.

Malt said Tourette's could explain why Breivik has frequently smiled inappropriately throughout the trial.

The psychiatrist left open the possibility that Breivik was suffering from paranoid psychosis but said the chances of such a condition were less than 25 percent.

Breivik, who admitted killing 77 people in a July 22nd bomb attack and shooting rampage, wants to prove his sanity because he thinks more people would give credence to his extremist ideology — described as a crusade against multiculturalism and a pending "Muslim invasion" of Norway and Europe.

Malt's opinion goes against two evaluations carried out by two other psychiatric teams.

The first found Breivik to be psychotic and suffering from paranoid schizophrenia, whereas a second opinion found no sign of psychosis but did declare Breivik to be asocial and narcissistic.

Malt's opinion is based on his observations of Breivik during his trial, which started on April 16th, but he has not interviewed the defendant.

Although Malt's opinion would appear to have been along the lines of what Breivik is trying to prove in court, the defendant lashed out against the diagnosis.

"I want to congratulate Malt for a very good demolition of my personality," he said.

If he is found sane, he faces a 21-year jail term which could be extended indefinitely if he is still considered a threat to society. If he is found insane he could receive closed psychiatric care, possibly for life.

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BREIVIK

Norway mosque shooter ‘has admitted the facts’: Police

A Norwegian man suspected of killing his step sister and opening fire in a mosque near Oslo last weekend, has admitted to the crimes though he has not officially entered a plea, police said on Friday.

Norway mosque shooter 'has admitted the facts': Police
Philip Manshaus appears in court on August 12. Photo: Cornelius Poppe / NTB Scanpix / AFP
Philip Manshaus, 21, was remanded in custody Monday, suspected of murder and a “terrorist act” that police say he filmed himself committing.
   
Answering police questions on Friday, “the suspect admits the facts but has not taken a formal position as to the charges,” Oslo police official Pal-Fredrik Hjort Kraby said in a statement.
   
Manshaus is suspected of murdering his 17-year-old step sister Johanne Zhangjia Ihle-Hansen, before entering the Al-Noor mosque in an affluent Oslo suburb and opening fire before he was overpowered by a 65-year-old man.
   
Just three worshippers were in the mosque at the time, and there were no serious injuries.
   
Manshaus appeared in court this week with two black eyes and scrapes and bruises to his face, neck and hands.
   
Police have said he has “extreme right views” and “xenophobic positions” and that he had filmed the mosque attack with a camera mounted on a helmet. He had initially denied the accusations.
   
The incident came amid a rise in white supremacy attacks around the world, including the recent El Paso massacre in the United States.
   
Norway witnessed one of the worst-ever attacks by a rightwing extremist in July 2011, when Anders Behring Breivik, who said he feared a “Muslim invasion”, killed 77 people in a truck bomb blast near government offices in Oslo and a shooting spree at a Labour Party youth camp on the island of Utøya.