Breivik: Childhood Shaped Views On Muslims

Norwegian right-wing mass killer Anders Behring Breivik has told his trial of the childhood experiences that he said helped form his attitude towards Muslims.

Breivik, 33, said when he was seven, his friend's Turkish father wrecked his bike because he offended him.

He also claimed that at 15 he was slapped by a Pakistani underground driver for riding on the outside of a carriage.

And he said one of his close friends had been "threatened" by a Kosovo-Albanian youth while waiting for a tram in 1995.

Breivik read the list of grievances from a sheet of paper covered in tiny handwriting in the Oslo court.

He said he heard the little sister of one of his friends had been cut with a knife - an incident he knew nothing about but still blamed on Muslims.

"Taken separately, all these episodes are not so serious," Breivik told the court, but he added that together they contributed to shaping his views of Muslims.

He claimed a common thread in these incidents was that the state was giving Muslim families housing in Oslo's upmarket east.

When asked by a judge whether he had any positive experiences with Muslims, Breivik responded: "One good thing about Muslims is that they're very loyal.

"The code of honour is very important for them: they are the first ones to help if there is a fight."

Breivik also made reference to several previous racist-motivated attacks in Norway, such as the murders of Arve Beheim Karlsen and Benjamin Hermansen, both young Norwegian men with foreign roots.

"The police in Norway received free rein to deconstruct the right wing in Norway after that," Breivik complained.

He has admitted bombing a government building in the capital, which killed eight people last July, and carrying out a shooting rampage at a political youth camp on Utoya island where 69 others died.

But he has denied criminal guilt, saying the victims had betrayed their country by embracing immigration.

The hearing was part of the defence's evidence, which included expert witnesses such as a psychiatrist and an academic researcher.

Breivik's mental state is the key issue to be resolved during the trial.

If found guilty and criminally sane, he would face 21 years in prison, though he could be held longer if deemed dangerous to society. If declared insane, he would be sent to a psychiatric facility.