One of Us Summary

What creates a terrorist? Anders Behring Breivik's story explores the harrowing path from a disturbed childhood to one of the deadliest attacks in modern Europe.

1. Unstable childhood as the root of Breivik’s troubles

Breivik’s early life was riddled with instability and emotional neglect. Born to parents Jens and Wenche, he experienced discord in his family almost immediately, as the couple divorced when he was only a year old. His mother, struggling with loneliness and mental health issues, raised him under emotionally strained circumstances.

Psychologists assessed the family when Breivik was four, recommending that he be removed from his mother’s custody due to her inadequate emotional capacity to care for him. However, these recommendations were ignored. This left Breivik caught in an environment marked by volatility, where his developmental needs went largely unmet.

The lack of a stable, supportive home environment disrupted his ability to form healthy emotional connections. Unchecked, this environment laid the foundation for his later feelings of alienation and growing resentment.

Examples

• Breivik’s mother sought counseling but was unable to provide the proper emotional care even afterward.
• Psychological evaluations flagged Breivik's environment as harmful but were not acted upon.
• His father showed little interest in maintaining contact with him, further deepening his sense of abandonment.

2. Alienation began early in school

Breivik displayed strange and provocative behavior that made it difficult for him to bond with peers. By preschool, he was already a loner, and his temperamental nature further alienated him from others. While he gained fleeting popularity in middle school through graffiti tagging, this too ended poorly due to his rule-breaking actions.

His graffiti crew respected him initially when he refused to reveal names to the police. But his obsession with gaining the “king” title in tagging prompted him to break an unwritten rule — he painted over the work of a senior tagger. This single act ruined his reputation, costing him not only friends but his spot in the tagging community.

His father’s rejection after one of Breivik’s arrests for tagging solidified his sense of isolation. Following this, Breivik lost trust in others, internalizing the idea that the world was against him.

Examples

• Rejecting social norms early on, Breivik rewrote the tag of a respected graffiti “king.”
• His classmates labeled him an outsider in their yearbook due to his confrontational nature.
• His father severed ties with him after Breivik’s repeated run-ins with the police.

3. Failed ambitions in politics led to greater disillusionment

Breivik's first foray into politics began with enthusiasm when he joined the Norwegian Progress Party’s youth wing at age 20. At first, this group seemed to offer him a sense of direction. Breivik worked hard to build connections and improve his standing, hoping to earn a nomination for city council elections.

However, Breivik’s ambitions were thwarted when the nomination committee didn’t include him in their finalist list. Feeling unrecognized and undervalued, he grew disenchanted and left the political scene altogether. This further entrenched his growing resentment toward society, as he interpreted these setbacks as evidence of systematic rejection.

Breivik’s withdrawal from politics marks a critical juncture at which he began drifting toward more extreme ideological perspectives, seeking recognition in radical communities instead.

Examples

• Breivik was made deputy chairman of his branch, giving him early encouragement.
• His sustained efforts to influence the nomination process were ignored by the party’s leaders.
• Breivik quit the political scene in frustration, believing the system to be dismissive of his contributions.

4. Immersion in gaming and far-right ideologies

After leaving his political aspirations behind, Breivik turned to online gaming and began losing touch with reality. For five years, he fully immersed himself in virtual life via games like World of Warcraft. These platforms temporarily satisfied his desire for recognition but also set him further apart from reality.

Simultaneously, Breivik started exploring far-right websites where anti-Islamic and hateful rhetoric fueled his growing radicalization. He admired other Norwegian extremists, especially the writings of an online figure known as “Fjordman.” These online spaces became his echo chamber, reinforcing his supremacist and conspiracy-driven ideas.

By 2009, Breivik announced to a cousin that he was writing a manifesto about conservatism and the Crusaders, signaling how deeply entrenched he had become in radical ideologies.

Examples

• Breivik spent countless hours gaming under the nickname “Andersnordic.”
• He discovered extreme content on sites like Gates of Vienna and Stormfront.
• Fjordman’s writing heavily influenced Breivik’s worldview, which he later reflected in his manifesto.

5. The manifesto: a call to arms

Breivik’s manifesto, “2083: A European Declaration of Independence,” is a chilling document laying out his skewed worldview. He blames cultural changes, feminism, and immigration—specifically Islam—for what he sees as the moral degradation of Europe. His manifesto idealizes pre-1950s societal values like rigid patriarchy and strict gender roles.

The final section offers detailed instructions on conducting terrorist attacks, including bomb-making guides and weapon acquisition tips. Breivik’s brazen self-interview paints him as a so-called savior of Europe, setting him up as a tragic warrior against societal transformation.

The manifesto wasn’t merely a rant; it was a guidebook for action. It demonstrates Breivik’s warped justification for violence.

Examples

• Breivik took direct inspiration from right-wing thinkers like Robert Spencer.
• He referenced historical events like the 1683 Battle of Vienna as symbolic of his crusading mission.
• He emailed his manifesto to like-minded individuals hours before his attack.

6. Meticulous preparation for violence

From 2010 to 2011, Breivik prepared for his attack with eerie precision. He joined a gun club to secure a firearms license and trained regularly. To construct a fertilizer bomb, he rented an isolated farm under the guise of starting an agricultural business, purchasing chemicals and fertilizers in small batches to avoid detection.

Building the bomb was not without hiccups, but Breivik’s persistence paid off, and by July 2011, it was ready. His meticulous planning and attention to detail highlight how he skillfully evaded suspicion during his months-long preparations.

Examples

• Breivik joined Oslo Pistol Club to gain firearms expertise without raising alarm.
• He justified his chemical purchases with fabricated explanations like cleaning aquariums.
• Neighbors who visited his rented farm noticed nothing amiss.

7. Police communication failures allowed Breivik to operate unhindered

On July 22, 2011, Breivik’s plan began with a car bomb detonated outside Norway’s government offices, killing eight people. After placing the bomb dressed as a policeman, he was seen leaving the site suspiciously, but crucial delays and miscommunication prevented police intervention.

Critical alerts about his getaway vehicle were mishandled. Hours after the explosion, Breivik was able to drive unchallenged to Utøya, where the scale of tragedy escalated astronomically.

Examples

• A witness reported Breivik’s unusual behavior, but the report was delayed by a misplaced note.
• Nearby patrols ignored orders to investigate the suspicious license plate.
• Energy-save mode on a police computer caused vital alerts to go unnoticed.

8. Devastation on Utøya Island

Breivik took advantage of his police disguise to gain access to Utøya, where a youth camp was in session. Without warning, he opened fire, killing 69 people, most of them teenagers. The first police responders arrived onshore but were inexplicably told to wait for backups.

This delay, combined with navigation mistakes and equipment failure, allowed Breivik to carry out his massacre uninterrupted for 75 minutes. He surrendered peacefully once police arrived.

Examples

• Breivik convinced ferry operators to transport him to Utøya by pretending to be a cop.
• Two police on the mainland failed to intervene due to misguided orders.
• A heavily loaded boat delayed the eventual police response further.

9. The trial: Breivik’s stage for propaganda

Breivik showed no remorse during his trial, using it instead to defend his ideology publicly. His opening act in court was to flash a Nazi salute, and his defense speech echoed the rhetoric from his manifesto.

Painfully detached, he reacted indifferently as witnesses recounted their experiences and prosecutors discussed the victims. Despite strong prosecution efforts to paint him as emotionally unrepentant, Breivik used the trial to justify his acts as part of his so-called war.

Examples

• Breivik cried while watching a promotional video during the trial — not from regret, but pride.
• His speech paralleled his manifesto, insistent on Islam’s supposed threat to Europe.
• He called his attack “spectacular,” minimizing the human cost of his crimes.

Takeaways

1. Early psychological intervention is essential for children displaying signs of emotional neglect or behavioral issues. Prevention may avert tragic outcomes later in life.
2. Governments and law enforcement agencies must review and improve coordination systems to respond swiftly to crisis situations.
3. Vigilance against online radicalization is necessary, particularly as isolated individuals are susceptible to adopting dangerous ideologies.