By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Oslo : Norwegian killer Anders Behring Breivik has been officially charged with acts of terror over the 77 people he killed in twin attacks in Oslo, a prosecutor said.
The 33-year-old extremist also faces charges of voluntary homicide, according to a 19-page indictment presented by prosecutor Svein Holden.
Breivik was psychotic at the time of the killings and should be transferred to “compulsory mental health care”, the prosecution said Wednesday.
The charges carry a penalty of up to 21 years in prison, although Breivik’s jail term can be extended for as long as he is considered a danger to society.
If found criminally insane, Breivik faces confinement in a psychiatric ward instead of jail.
Breivik confessed to killing eight people with a car bomb in Oslo July 22 and then gunning down 69 others on the nearby island of Utoya that was hosting a summer camp for the governing Labor Party’s youth wing.
The gunman claimed he was on a crusade against multi-culturalism and the “Muslim invasion” of Europe when he carried out the attacks.
Prosecutor Holden said the total number of people subjected to attempted murder — taking into account the two attacks — could be as high as 800.