As of: February 15, 2024, 3:22 p.m
By: Peter Sieben
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Are Tomasgard now works directly opposite the spot where Anders Breivik detonated a bomb in 2011.
© Peter Sieben
Mass murderer Anders Breivik killed 77 people.
Now he is complaining about prison conditions.
Are Tomasgard met him immediately before the bloody act.
A coincidence still concerns him today.
Oslo - When Are Tomasgard closes his eyes, he sometimes sees the mass murderer's face in front of him.
“You don’t forget that,” he says.
That was on July 22, 2011, when he confronted Anders Behring Breivik at the jetty - the man who had detonated a bomb in Oslo's government district an hour and a half earlier.
Are Tomasgard and his son were the last to leave the small island of Utøya in Norway by ferry.
Breivik was heading in the opposite direction – to cause another terrible bloodbath.
The name Breivik is currently a big topic in Norway again.
The Utøya attacker has been on trial since January, now as a plaintiff against the Norwegian state.
The 44-year-old claims his prison conditions violate his human rights.
A verdict is expected this Thursday.
Right-wing terrorist kills 77 people in Oslo and Utøya
A total of 77 people died in the attacks by right-wing terrorist Anders Breivik, which left deep scars in the collective memory of Norwegians.
It is a national trauma - and for many also a personal one.
Are Tomasgard now works directly across from where Breivik's bomb exploded in 2011.
The attacker had parked a pickup truck and filled it with explosives, which detonated at 3:25 p.m.
Eight people were killed and some of the surrounding government buildings were severely damaged.
The right-wing terrorist and mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik is suing the Norwegian state.
© Javad Parsa/imago
There are also scars in the cityscape that are still visible today.
One of the houses that was damaged at the time is currently being renovated and expanded; Tomasgard can look directly onto the construction site from his office.
He works at Landsorganisasjonen i Norge (LO for short), a large trade union umbrella organization.
There he is responsible, among other things, for security policy.
“I’m also doing this job because of what I experienced back then,” he says.
Security has become a big issue.
Father meets Anders Breivik by chance: “I almost accidentally hit him”
The trade unionist had actually planned to give a lecture to the youth organization of the Norwegian Workers' Party (AUF), which had set up a tent camp on Utøya like every year: dozens of politically active young people who just wanted to party a little.
His son was a member.
“But then we heard about the terrible bombing in Oslo and the event was canceled,” says Tomasgard.
The words are pouring out of him quickly now; he has told this story many times, to friends and family.
That helps.
“My son and I then took the ferry back to the mainland.
I saw Breivik there, he was wearing a uniform and I thought he was a police officer.” It seemed completely plausible to him, given the bomb attack that was already being reported on the radio.
“I thought he wanted to reassure the young people on the island.” Tomasgard and his son got in the car to drive home.
One thing that he can't get out of his head to this day: "I almost accidentally hit Breivik when I was backing the car out of the parking space." The sensor in his car beeped and he then saw the supposed police officer in the rearview mirror. with a box under his arm and a gun.
Breivik attack on Utøya in Norway: 67 people shot, two die in the water
In fact, neo-Nazi Breivik had disguised himself as a police officer at the time and was even carrying a fake police ID card.
When he arrived on the island of Utøya, he called the young people together under the pretext of informing them about the bombing in Oslo, which they had now heard about.
Then, without warning, he started shooting at people.
67 of them died from gunshot wounds, one person fell off a cliff while trying to escape, and another drowned.
Many of them were between 14 and 18 years old.
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Witness about Breivik assassination attempt: “I heard strange noises, apparently shots were fired”
Are Tomasgard had to listen to the first moments of the attack.
“When we were on the way back, I called a friend who was still on Utøya.
I heard strange noises, apparently shots were fired.” He immediately called the police.
The memories of the attacks are particularly present at the moment.
Two months ago, the mass murderer Anders Breivik sued the Norwegian state because of allegedly inhumane prison conditions.
The process is causing a huge stir in the media and is now being discussed a lot here.
Breivik was sentenced in 2012 to a prison sentence of 21 years followed by preventive detention; there is no life sentence under Norwegian law.
Since then, the mass murderer has repeatedly insisted on his human rights and wants to be released early.
The case also caused a scandal in Germany a few months ago: AfD politician Kai Borrmann commented on Breivik in a tweet.
“The fact that he was a murderer doesn’t prove that he was politically wrong,” the AfD man wrote via X (formerly Twitter).
Borrmann's account on the platform was then blocked.
Are Tomasgard just shakes his head at the topic.
It's enough for him if he no longer has to see the face of the mass murderer.
And he says, “One thing I learned: You never know what’s going to happen, no matter what you plan.”
Note: A first version of this article was published on October 28, 2023. Due to new events, it has been updated with additional information.
Transparency note: Ippen.Media was invited to Oslo by the Norwegian embassy in Berlin.