Norwegian confessed mass killer Anders Breivik told a court in Oslo on Friday that he picked up strategies from the Islamist terrorist organization al-Qaeda and said it could serve as inspiration to European far-right militants.
Breivik said he had been closely following al-Qaeda since 2006 and studied each of their actions. "[Al-Qaeda is] the most successful revolutionary movement in the world,” he said.
The 33-year-old said he had read more than 600 internet bomb-making guides.
When prosecutors asked Breivik whether he felt empathy for others, the killer said he taught himself to dull all emotions - "from happiness to sorrow, despair, hopelessness, anxiety, fear” through meditation.
"You ask if I have empathy and emotion. ... You could say I was pretty normal until 2006 when I started training ... desensitizing myself through meditation," CNN quoted Breivik as saying.
The extremist confirmed he is still doing meditation in prison to deal with the trial, The Guardian reported from the courtroom.
The trial against Breivik began Monday with two professional judges, as well as three lay judges - local politicians who are appointed for four-year terms and participate on an equal basis in deciding guilt and sentencing. The key issue to be resolved during the trial, expected to last 10 weeks, is Breivik's mental state.
