Anders Behring Breivik has acknowledged that he “cannot conceive” what it is like for others to consider his “gruesome” acts.
Breivik arrived in a court in Oslo for the fifth day of his trial for killing 77 people in bomb and shooting attacks last July and again avoided his previous right-wing salute.
Breivik, who styles himself as a modern-day crusader, has confessed to the attacks but rejects criminal guilt, saying he was acting to protect Norway and Europe by targeting left-wing political forces he claims have betrayed the country by opening it up to immigration.
In his initial questioning on Friday, he said he “absolutely” understood why these were “exacting things for people to hear”, said BBC.
“It’s about gruesome, barbaric acts and I cannot even start to conceive what it is like for others,” he said.
“And I think I would not be able to carry out the court and police interviews. I have tried to de-emotionalise myself from this. I use a more technical language. If I did not, I do not think I would be able to talk about this at all.”
During the fourth day of his trial, Breivik said his original plan included three bombings followed by a shooting massacre.
The killer set off a bomb in Oslo on July 22 last year before travelling to a youth camp on Utoya island, where he shot dead 69 people.
He said he planned bombings of Oslo’s government district and the Labour Party’s office and a third target — perhaps the Norwegian royal palace. The three bombs would be followed by a shooting, if he survived, he told the court.
According to the BBC, Breivik decided against multiple bombs because building just one was “much more difficult than (he) thought”.
He told the court he took a “sabbatical” to play World of Warcraft and Modern Warfare. He said he used such games to simulate the police response and the best escape strategy.
When he acquired weapons for his attacks, he turned to Norse mythology to name them.
“The rifle I called Gungnir, which is the name of the magical spear of Odin, which returns after you have thrown it. And the Glock I called Mjoelnir. It is the warrior god Thor’s hammer,” the Daily Mail quoted Breivik as saying.
The trial against Breivik began with two professional judges, as well as three lay judges — local politicians appointed for four-year terms who 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.