Norway killer admits to massacre in first public statement

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Norwegian anti-immigration militant Anders Behring Breivik spoke in open court for the first time on Monday and admitted killing 77 people in attacks in July, but he denied any guilt, saying he was a military commander in a far-right resistance movement.

Wearing a black suit, white shirt and silvery tie, a tense Breivik sat with his eyes mostly downcast and occasionally bit his lip in a packed hearing to extend his custody before trial.

At one point Breivik attempted to address survivors of Norway's biggest modern-day massacre, but the judge cut him off.

"I am a military commander in the Norwegian resistance movement and Knights Templar Norway," Breivik told the court.

It was the 32-year-old's first public utterance since he planted a car bomb on July 22 that killed eight people at an Oslo government building, then went on to shoot dead 69 more, most of them teenagers, at a Labour Party summer camp on the island of Utoeya.

"I acknowledge the acts, but I do not plead guilty," Breivik said, adding that he rejected the jurisdiction of the court because it ‘supports multiculturalism’.

Oil-producing Norway, home to the Nobel Peace Prize, is known for its open society, peace and relative prosperity. The attacks sparked a public debate about immigration, security and a legal system, which has never had to cope with such an event.

About 120 people packed into the courtroom. Hundreds more squeezed into overflow rooms equipped with video links. Toward the end of the hearing Breivik indicated with a finger that he wanted to speak again.

"I understand the aggrieved parties are present – may I say something to them?" he asked, but the judge turned him down and Breivik did not persist.