Updated at 9.15am
ANDERS BEHRING BREIVIK, the Norwegian accused of carrying out separate bomb and gun attacks last July which killed 77 people is set to take the stand today at his trial.
However, his half-hour address will not be televised over concerns he could use the trial as a platform to promote his extremist views.
Breivik has admitted planning and carrying out a bomb attack in Oslo which killed eight people before travelling to the nearby island of Utoya where 69 people were shot dead, many of whom were young people attending a political youth camp.
However, he denies criminal guilt and claims he acted in self-defence. He also rejected the authority of the court as being a vehicle of “multiculturalist” political groups.
Yesterday, the court heard details of each of of the victims and survivors of the attacks and a map was displayed which showed where those injured and killed on Utoya were targeted.
Breivik briefly broke down in tears as the court was shown one of his own propaganda videos.
The trial opened yesterday and Breivik faces a maximum of 21 years in prison if convicted of the terrorism and premeditated murder charges.
Judges
Meanwhile, one of the lay judges on the five-person panel presiding over the case has been dismissed after commenting on Facebook about the case and suggesting that the defendant should face the death penalty.
The panel is made up of two professional and three lay judges.
The court met briefly this morning before hearing an application from counsel for the victims who said they believed that the lay judge in question was ‘legally incompetent’ as a result of the comment and that they should step down.
The court adjourned for half an hour to discuss the matter and when it returned, a judge announced that the lay judge is dismissed from the panel and a replacement has been appointed in his place.
- Additional reporting by the AP
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