OnJuly 22, a lone attacker detonated a car bomb near governmentbuildings in downtown Oslo, Norway before traveling to the holidayisland of Utoya and opening fire on a group of young people at aLabor party retreat. Unfortunately, 8 people died in the bombing and69 died in the shootings. Police arrested 32-year-old Anders BehringBreivik, a Norwegian citizen with extreme anti-immigration views whohas admitted to carrying out both attacks. Breivik told investigatorsthat he had planned his crimes for years and that he had othertargets in mind. Officials have found no evidence that Mr. Breivikhas any ties to outside terror groups and believe that he actedalone. 

Theattacks are the worst violence in Norway since World War II. Policesay that the powerful car bomb would have killed more people if ithad not exploded on a Friday afternoon during the summer holidayseason, when many people were away. After the explosion. Mr. Breiviktook advantage of the confusion and moved to Utoya, where he gainedaccess to the island by posingas a police officer.Once there Breivik began hunting his victims and shooting them asthey fled. Many of the young people hid or tried to swim to themainland. Although Breivik has confessed to the crimes, his legalfate is unclear because the maximum prison sentence allowed underNorwegian law is 21 years. 

Beforethe attacks Breivik released a 1,500-page manifesto in which heblamed Muslims and left-wing politicians for destroying Europeanculture. His extreme right-wing views have placed a spotlight onimmigration in Norway. The anti - immigration Progress Party holdsthe second most seats in Parliament after the Labor Party, which wasone of Breivik's targets. However, Breivik wrote in his manifestothat he left the Progress Party because it was too moderate. Norway's Labor prime minister, Jens Stoltenberg, has called the attacks anassault on democracyand has urged citizens to respond by embracing freedom.