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Geopolitics

Accomplices, A Call Girl And 'Martyr's Mass': More From Norway Suspect’s Manifesto

Other disturbing clues to Norway’s suspected right-wing killer are still being unearthed from the 1,500-page document he posted on the Internet shortly before the attacks. He had plans to mark the killings with both a "martyr's mass&

Accomplices, A Call Girl And 'Martyr's Mass': More From Norway Suspect’s Manifesto
Florian Flade

Even as suspected Norwegian right-wing terrorist Anders Behring Breivik appeared in court for the first time since Friday's twin attacks, more clues were emerging about both his motivations and modus operandi from the 1500-plus page manifesto published on the Internet shortly before the attacks.

In the Oslo court hearing Monday, which was held behind closed doors, Breivik said he detonated a bomb in downtown Oslo and went on a shooting rampage in nearby Utoeya Island, on July 22, according to a judge present. (The death toll from the twin attacks has been revised down from 93 to 76.)

Die Welt, meanwhile, has continued to comb through the entire digital manifesto. There is a reference to what appear to be accomplices, or at least people who may have known Breivik's plans. On page 1,437 of the document, Breivik writes: "Logistical plans ahead (as of March 1st): As soon as I rent the farm; I plan to move all my equipment to the farm house and initiate the ‘explosive manufacturing phase.‘ The operation will be executed shortly after the manufacturing phase is completed. Will attempt to initiate contact with cell 8b and 8c in late March."

Further information about who or what "cell 8b and 8c" are, are not to be found in the manifesto, though an Oslo judge said Breivik referred to them in court Monday, even though he had initially told authorities he acted alone. Until now, Norwegian police have found no indication that others were involved, and Breivik was apparently not a member of any known Norwegian or Scandinavian Neo-Nazi group.

In Germany, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) is investigating possible ties Breivik may have had with the German Neo-Nazi scene.

An email for 10,000 nationalists

Breivik's manifesto reveals further details about his planned attacks and his private life. Apparently, Breivik had been working on 2083 - A European Declaration of Independence since 2008, and was planning to send the opus by e-mail to 10,000 nationalists around Europe.

Breivik claimed to have two Facebook accounts with a total of 5,700 contacts that he was also planning to send his work to.

In April 2002, Breivik attended a Knights Templar Europe meeting in London, as "Knight Templar 8" and representative of Norway. He writes that he was given the codename Sigur at this encounter.

Breivik also refers to a plan to turn the right-wing blog, document.no, into a news portal with a monthly newspaper.

In August 2010, a little less than a year before the July 22 attacks, Breivik claims to have driven to Chechnya via Denmark and Germany. In Prague, he wanted to buy an AK-47 Kalashnikov assault rifle and a Glock 17 pistol, but that didn't prove to be possible. Disappointed, Breivik returned to Norway where he legally obtained the rifle he would wind up using on Utoeya.

The weapon Breivik used in the shooting rampage was a semi-automatic assault rifle – a Ruger Mini-14, .223 Caliber, that, he claims in the manifesto, his Norwegian gun permit made it possible for him to purchase legally. He paid 1400 euros for the weapon.

The weapon was the closest thing to a war weapon that one could legally obtain in Norway, he writes. An additional purchase was a silencer for the gun. He adds that he'd been the owner of a Benelli Nova pump gun for seven years.

In the months before the attacks, a lot of women were flirting with him, he reports in the diary-like section towards the end of his manifesto. However, having a partner would get in the way of his plans, so he was for that reason not interested in women at the time.

He had, however, set aside 2000 euros so that a week before the attacks he could hire a "high-quality escort girl." Breivik refers to the planned attacks as an act of martyrdom, apparently believing that he would die carrying them out. He expresses the intention of having a "martyr's mass' beforehand at Oslo‘s Frogner Church, and to hire the girl shortly before or after that mass took place.

The document also indicates that preparations for the attacks may have been eating up his reserves of money: in March 2010, Breivik sold a 40-piece set of Rosenthal–Versace porcelain for 4000 euros. In January of this year, he sold a Breitling Crosswind wristwatch for 1800 euros and his Montblanc Meisterstuck fountain pen for 200 euros.

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food / travel

Legalizing Moonshine, A Winning Political Stand In Poland

Moonshine, typically known as “bimber” in Poland, may soon be legalized by the incoming government. There is a mix of tradition, politics and economics that makes homemade booze a popular issue to campaign on.

Photo of an empty vodka bottle on the ground in Poland

Bottle of vodka laying on the ground in Poland

Leszek Kostrzewski

WARSAWIt's a question of freedom — and quality. Poland's incoming coalition government is busy negotiating a platform for the coming years. Though there is much that still divides the Left, the liberal-centrist Civic Koalition, and the centrist Third Way partners, there is one area where Poland’s new ruling coalition is nearly unanimous: moonshine.

The slogan for the legalization of moonshine (known in Poland as "bimber") was initially presented by Michał Kołodziejczak, the leader of Agrounia, a left-wing socialist political movement in Poland that has qualified to be part of the incoming Parliament.

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”Formerly so-called moonshine was an important element of our cultural landscape, associated with mystery, breaking norms, and freedom from the state," Kołodziejczak said. "It was a reason to be proud, just like the liqueurs that Poles were famous for in the past.”

The president of Agrounia considered the right to make moonshine as a symbol of "subjectivity" that farmers could enjoy, and admitted with regret that in recent years it had been taken away from citizens. “It's also about a certain kind of freedom, to do whatever you want on your farm," Kołodziejczak adds. "This is subjectivity for the farmer. Therefore, I am in favor of providing farmers with the freedom to consume this alcohol for their own use.”

A similar viewpoint was aired by another Parliament member. “We will stop pretending that Polish farmers do not produce moonshine for their own use, such as for weddings,” the representative said, pointing out the benefits of controlling the quality. “Just like they produce slivovitz, which Poland is famous for. It's high time they did it legally.”

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