Breivik's phone calls to the police

  • Thread starter arildno
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In summary, the audio files of Breivik's two successful calls where he says he wants to "surrender" have now been surrendered to the public. The first call was short and bizarre, possibly leading to the police thinking it was a prank call. The second call included Breivik claiming to be commander in the Norwegian resistance movement and requesting to surrender to the Delta forces. The police may have feigned ignorance to check for a mismatch in phone numbers and were also dealing with a high volume of calls during the incident. It is too early to conclude if the handling of the calls was due to incompetence, as the police were dealing with a highly stressful and chaotic situation.
  • #1
arildno
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The audio files of Breivik's two successful calls where he says he wants to "surrender" have now been surrendered to the public.
If I had been the officers getting these two calls, I would have been utterly perplexed, and how "to act upon them" is rather mysterious (the two calls was registered at two different emergency phones, corresponding to the two police districts of the county Buskerud, where Utøya is).
Not the least because Breivik did not use a mobile phone on his own name, but a phone taken from one of the first victims.

In my translation, "B" is Breivik, "P" is police:

Call 1, 18.00.49:

"P: Emergency phone, police

B:
Oh, hello, my name is Commander Anders Behring Breivik in the Norwegian anticommunist resistance movement.

P: Yes?.

B: I am at Utøya at the moment. I wish to surrender.
P: Ok, what number are you calling from?
B: I am calling from a mobile telephone.
P: You are calling from your own mobile telephone?
B: Yes. It is not my mobile telephone, but somebody else's
P:Somebody else, what was your name again? Hello..Hello??2

Evidently miffed, Breivik resumed his rampage for another 25 minutes.
Just a minute or so before he himself was taken, this phone call had been made:

Call 2, 18.26

"P: Emergency phone, police
B: Hello, my name is Anders Behring Breivik.
P: Yes, hello?.

B: I am commander in the norwegian resistance movement.
P: Yes?

B: Can you transfer my call to the operation leader of the Delta forces? ("Delta forces" are the police emergency troop sent to get Breivik)
P: Eh, yes..where do you fit in, and what is the issue here?
B:I'm at Utøya.
P:Ok, so you are at Utøya.
B: I have completed my mission, so I wish to..surrender.
P: So, you wish to surrender?
B: Yes.

P:What was your name again?

B: Anders Behring Breivik.

P: And you are commander in..
B: Knights Templar Europe is the name of the organization, but we are organized in..the anti-communist and norwegian resistance movement against islamization of Europe and against islamization of norway..

P: Yes.

B: We have just completed an operation on behalf of knights templar.
P: Yes..

B: Europe and norway.

P: Yes...

B:
And since the operation is completed, so..it is acceptable to surrender to the Delta forces.
P: You wish to surrender to the delta forces?
B:Can you, can you transfer me to the operation leader of the Delta forces?
P: Yes, you you are in a manner of speaking talking with someone with overall responsibilities
B:
Okay, just find out what you must, and then you call back on this telephone, okay?
P:
Hmm, but which phone number..
B:.
That's grand, hi.
P: Jeg har ikke det telefonnummeret! Hallo!
I haven't got that telephone number! Hello??"
 
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  • #2
Pathetic, both the people answering the phone and Breivik's delusional image of himself. Could it be that the police call taker thought they were prank calls? If not, this is horribly incompetant. They don't have caller ID?
 
  • #3
Evo said:
Pathetic, both the people answering the phone and Breivik's delusional image of himself. Could it be that the police call taker thought they were prank calls? If not, this is horribly incompetant. They don't have caller ID?
As for the first, it is so short and bizarre that it might be judged a prank call.
Thus, this telephone call, which came through at Northern Buskerud police district may not have been relayed to the central commando, and thus, that the other call taker at the Southern Buskerud police district had not been aware of it.

Remember also that what the police probably DID know about the Oslo bombing was that an Islamic website just minutes after the explosion, but then retracted it.
Could this call be a probable prank of the same kind?

As for having the numbers or not, it is said that the police after the first call tried to call back, but didn't get through.
Remember that our local telephone network was overloaded.

As for the second call, I would believe that it is standard quizzing procedure to feign ignorance to such callers, in order to check if there is a mismatch in the verbally stated phone number, and the one on the display. Or if the guy simply hangs up. (IN this case, Breivik probably did NOT know the number)

Furthermore, considering that the police had to work with a worst case scenario in which 2-7 perps might be involved (confused&scared callers from Utøya also thought a youth might be a complicit figure), the police might have judged this as some sort of devilish entrapment call, in order to lure the Delta forces to some place where, for example a bomb might be, or where they could be shot down at leisure.

So, I think it is too early to conclude that the handling of this from the police was one of incompetence, on basis of the information pool they had to work with.
 
  • #4
Just another relevant factor concerning evaluation of police (in-)competence:
Northern Buskerud police district is fairly small, and it has always been sufficient with a single operator at the emergency phone at any time.
At least, that is, in the general holiday season, which is July in Norway.

The police have reported that during the WHOLE period from the first emergency phone at 17.27 to well beyond the capture of Breivik at 18.27, it was an average of 40 calls-on-wait for the hapless operator.
He was, after some time strengthened with two other colleagues, the others had other urgent business at Utøya itself.

Thus, for almost 34 minute's prior to Breivik's call, you have had a continuous stream of calls either from terrified youths who had to be swiftly soothed and urged either to swim or hide, or from panicked relatives craving information.

That such an immensely stressful situation might have exhausted the phone call takers is not improbable.
 
  • #5


As a scientist, it is important to approach this content with an objective and analytical mindset. Breivik's phone calls to the police provide insight into his mindset and motivations during the attacks on Utøya. From the audio files, it is clear that Breivik was calm and calculated, identifying himself as the commander of a resistance movement and stating that he wanted to surrender. However, it is also evident that the officers receiving these calls were confused and unsure of how to respond, especially given the fact that Breivik was using a phone taken from one of his victims.

One possible explanation for Breivik's calm demeanor and desire to surrender could be that he saw himself as a martyr for his cause and wanted to be seen as a hero by his fellow members of the resistance movement. Another possibility could be that he wanted to prolong the situation and continue his rampage, as evidenced by his resuming his attack after the first call and only deciding to surrender right before he was taken in.

It is also interesting to note that Breivik identified himself as a member of the Knights Templar Europe, an organization that he claimed to be a part of but has been widely dismissed as a figment of his imagination. This could suggest a delusional or unstable mindset on Breivik's part.

Overall, the audio files of Breivik's phone calls to the police provide valuable insight into his mindset and motivations during the attacks on Utøya. They also highlight the confusion and uncertainty that the officers on the other end of the line must have experienced, further emphasizing the chaos and tragedy of this event.
 

What were the contents of Breivik's phone calls to the police?

Breivik's phone calls to the police contained information about the bombing in Oslo and the shooting on the island of Utøya. He also expressed his political views and claimed to be a member of a far-right organization.

Did Breivik make any demands during his phone calls to the police?

No, Breivik did not make any demands during his phone calls. He primarily used the calls to explain his actions and express his beliefs.

Were there any warning signs in Breivik's phone calls to the police?

There were no specific warning signs in Breivik's phone calls, but he did mention his plans to carry out a "major political attack" and his belief that violence was necessary to defend his culture and race.

How long did Breivik's phone calls to the police last?

Breivik's phone calls to the police lasted for approximately 79 minutes. He made multiple calls during this time, with the longest call lasting for 27 minutes.

Did the police take any action based on Breivik's phone calls?

The police were able to trace Breivik's location and arrested him shortly after his phone calls. They also used information from the calls to locate and secure the bomb he had planted in Oslo.

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