Oslo, Norway (CNN) -- A Norwegian court ordered Anders Behring Breivik, charged with killing 77 people last July, to undergo a month-long psychiatric evaluation as experts seek to determine his mental state ahead of a trial.
Breivik is accused of killing eight people in a bomb attack in Oslo and 69 more in a gun rampage on nearby Utoya Island on July 22. It was the deadliest attack on Norwegian soil since World War II.
Two court-appointed psychiatric experts recommended that Breivik should spend four weeks under 24-hour psychiatric monitoring so the court can get the fullest possible picture of his behavior, according to court documents released Friday.
He should be kept away from other patients but will still have to interact with psychiatric staff, the documents say. The observation will be carried out in facilities at Ila Prison, where he is being held.
Breivik has said he will not cooperate with the two psychiatric experts, which underlines the need for constant observation, the court documents said.
Inside the Norway terror suspect's mind
The two experts were appointed last month to evaluate his mental state after the court requested a second opinion because of the importance of the question of his sanity to Breivik's trial.
In November, prosecutors said psychiatrists had determined Breivik was paranoid and schizophrenic at the time of the attacks and during 13 interviews experts conducted with him afterward.
Breivik has pleaded not guilty, though he has admitted carrying out the attacks, the judge handling his case said previously.
It may not be possible for him to be sentenced to the maximum punishment for the crimes if he's deemed insane.
A court ruled Monday that Breivik can legally be kept in custody until his trial starts in April.
Breivik reiterated some of his extremist views during Monday's hearing, which began with him entering with a smile and offering up a raised, clenched-fist salute.
Breivik says nobody could believe that he was insane, and describes questions about his mental condition as ridiculous, his lawyer, Geir Lippestad, told the court.
Breivik claims the shooting rampage was a matter of self-defense, meant to save Norway from being taken over by multicultural forces and to prevent ethnic cleansing of Norwegians, Lippestad said.
Authorities have described him as a right-wing Christian extremist. A 1,500-page manifesto attributed to Breivik posted on the Internet is critical of Muslim immigration and European liberalism, including Norway's Labour Party.
The victims on Utoya Island were among 700 mostly young people attending a Labour Party camp on the island.
Breivik's trial is scheduled to begin April 16 and is expected to last 10 weeks.
Journalist Olav Mellingsaeter in Oslo contributed to this report.
Loading weather data ...
© 2012 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
|