Add Al Qaeda, Timothy McVeigh, and the Internet to the list of factors Norwegian killer Anders Behring Breivik cites as influences in his bombing and shooting rampage. It's the fifth day of Breivik's trial in which the primary goal is to determine if this man is crazy, or rather, not crazy enough to serve a (an absurdly low) maximum 21-year sentence for the killing of 77 people. Breivik has trolled the Norwegian legal system and claimed self defense and entered a not guilty plea.

And perhaps he's trolling all of us by listing his "influences." We wish we could just fast-forward to the sentencing, especially when Breivik is being quoted by The Associated Press as saying, "We want to create a European version of al-Qaeda." Adding, "I have studied each one of their actions, what they have done wrong, what they have done right." He was referring to Al Qaeda, Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, and the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center. Earlier he had mentioned the video game Call of Duty as another way of sharpening his killing skills. 

One thing Breivik isn't blaming?  His 16-hour World of Warcraft play sessions. "Some people like to play golf, some like to sail, I played WoW. It had nothing to do with 22 July. It's not a world you are engulfed by. It's simply a hobby," The Guardian quoted him as saying. With the way he lovingly talks about the video game, we'd be lying if we didn't say there wasn't a slight feeling of satisfaction at the possibility of taking 21 years of his gaming time—as well as walking about and fresh air-of-freedom breathing time— away from him. (21 years is still too low! We know!). 

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Alexander Abad-Santos