The anti-Muslim militant who killed 77 people in attacks in Norway last July today acknowledged carrying
out the massacre but refused to plead guilty in his first public court appearance since the attacks.
Anders Behring Breivik, speaking at a court in Oslo just two blocks from where he detonated a huge home-made bomb before shooting 69 people at the ruling Labour Party's summer camp, also rejected the court's authority to hear his case.
"I am a military commander in the Norwegian resistance movement and Knights Templar Norway. Regarding the competence (of the court), I object to it because you received your mandate from organisations that support hate ideology (and) because it supports multiculturalism," Mr Breivik told the court.
"I acknowledge the acts but I do not plead guilty," he added.
It was the first time survivors and the families of victim were able to see Mr Breivik (32) face-to-face since the attack on the government and the ruling party for what he said was their promotion of immigration. The killings on July 22nd shattered a country known for its open society, peace and relative prosperity, sparking a debate about immigration and security.
Mr Breivik, speaking at a court picketed by a group of anti-fascist protesters attempted to address survivors and victims' relatives but the court denied his request.
In a rambling manifesto posted on the Internet before the attacks, the accused wrote that his arrest would open "the propaganda phase" of his operation to ignite a war to defend Europe against a supposed Muslim takeover.
The hearing, required under Norwegian law to keep a suspect in prison before trial, was Mr Breivik's fourth, and as expected, the court decided to keep him in custody. He will likely remain in prison until he goes to trial, probably in the first half of next year.
About 120 people were admitted to the courtroom, while hundreds of others squeezed into overflow rooms equipped with video links.
Mr Breivik has been kept in solitary confinement since July 22nd and has been denied visits, correspondence and access to newspapers and television. The prosecution asked the court to ease those restrictions slightly today but the judge declined.