Suspect tied to British Islamophobia group

Norway's twin terror-attack suspect had broad links to a far-right group that opposes what it deems the spread of Islamism in England, the British group said Anders Behring Breivik, who pleaded not guilty to terrorism charges Monday while affirming he carried out the deadly attacks, had shared information and met senior members of the 2-year-old English Defense League at least once, the members said. He met with the EDL leaders at least in March 2010, when far-right Dutch politician Geert Wilders went to England for a screening of Wilders' controversial 2008 film "Fitna," which argues the Koran motivates followers to engage in terrorism, anti-Semitism, and hatred and violence against women, "infidels," homosexuals and all who violate Islamic teachings. The Koran is the sacred book of Islam, which Muslims believe God dictated to the Prophet Mohammed through the Angel Gabriel. A large part of Wilders' film details the alleged influence of Islam on the Netherlands. Breivik also had at least 150 EDL Facebook "friends," a senior member of the EDL told The Daily Telegraph. "I spoke to him a few times on Facebook and he is extremely intelligent and articulate and very affable," the senior EDL member told the newspaper on condition of anonymity. "He is someone who can project himself very well, and I presume there would be those within the EDL who would be quite taken by that," the EDL member said. "It's like [World War II German Nazi leader Adolf] Hitler -- people said he was hypnotic. This guy had the same sort of effect." Breivik told an Oslo District Court during his arraignment Monday "two more cells" from his alleged terror network were still at large and were ready to follow him, Judge Kim Heger said afterward. The arraignment was closed to the public in part to deny Breivik the political platform he'd said in online writings he'd hoped his actions would bring. British Prime Minister David Cameron said Breivik's accomplice claims were being taken "extremely seriously." Breivik's court-appointed lawyer Geir Lippestad told The Wall Street Journal, "It's impossible to assess the credibility of those claims." Breivik told the court the massacre was part of a mission to save Norway and western Europe from "cultural Marxism and Muslim domination," Heger said in a news conference. Breivik also told police he wanted to cause maximum loss to Norway's Labor Party and its members -- and in attacking the party's summer youth camp, he wanted to deter future recruits from joining the party, the Journal reported. Police Monday revised the death toll from the two attacks downward to 76 from 93. They said 68 people died in Friday's shootings on the lake island of Utoya, down from the earlier figure of 86. They said eight people, not seven, died in the bombing outside a government office building in downtown Oslo beforehand. In explaining the discrepancy, they said some bodies on the island were accidentally counted twice in the confusion after the rampage. They also said the number of dead could rise again with several people still missing on the island. Norway's version of the FBI, the Police Security Service, was also questioned after the Norwegian daily Verdens Gang reported late Monday the service had put Breivik on a watch list in March but didn't investigate further after Breivik made a suspicious purchase of chemical fertilizer from a Polish company. Janne Kristiansen, the chief of Norway's police security service, told the government-owned Norwegian Broadcasting Corp. the purchase had set off an alert, but since the transaction was legal, security police had no reason to investigate further. Under Norwegian law, Breivik could face a maximum 21-year prison sentence, but the sentence can be extended for a prisoner deemed a risk to the public, authorities said. Prosecutor Christian Hatlo said Breivik told investigators during his interrogation he never expected to be released. Police said Breivik's trial may not take place for up to one year.