Norway court rejects mass killer Breivik’s parole request

COPENHAGEN (AP) — A Norwegian court ruled Tuesday that far-right extremist Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in 2011, must remain in prison, saying there remains "an obvious risk" he could return to behavior that led up to the massacre.

Last month, Breivik faced a parole hearing before the threejudge Telemark District Court where he professed white supremacist views and flashed Nazi salutes on the hearing's opening day, while claiming to have renounced violence.

But the court said he remains a potential threat.

"Because his psychiatric condition is unchanged, there is an obvious risk that he will fall back on the behavior that led up to the terrorist acts on July 22, 2011," the court said in its ruling.

The ruling said he "used extreme violence as a tool to achieve his own political goals" and the court "has no doubt that (Breivik) still today has the ability to commit new serious crimes that may expose others to danger."

Breivik is serving Norway's maximum 21-year sentence for setting off a bomb in Oslo's government district and carrying out a shooting massacre at a summer camp for left-wing youth activists.

He was declared sane at his trial, although the prosecution argued that he was psychotic. He didn't appeal his sentence but unsuccessfully sued the government for human rights violations for denying him the right to communicate with sympathizers.

Breivik could be held longer than 21 years under a provision that allows authorities to keep criminals in prison for as long as they're considered a menace to society.

During last month's hearing, prosecutor Hulda Karlsdottir argued Breivik still is "a very dangerous man" and "has not shown any genuine remorse in court."