Breivik 'Shouted With Joy' As He Shot Victims

Suspected mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik shouted with joy as he fired off round after round on the island of Utoya, a survivor of the massacre has told a court in Oslo.

Speaking in a clear and decisive voice, Tonje Brenna told the court how she heard "cries of joy" as bodies fell close to her hiding place in the crack of a cliff.

"I am absolutely sure that I heard cries of joy," said the 24-year-old head of the Norwegian Labour party's youth wing, AUF.

She was the first of the survivors of the massacre that left 69 dead last July to take the stand at this session.

Seated at a table just a few metres from her, Breivik sat shaking his head in disapproval as Ms Brenna recounted the events of that day.

The 33-year-old has previously insisted that he never laughed or smiled during the massacre.

"Why would I have laughed when I was there? That is not true. It was horrible. I did not smile," he told the court on April 20.

Ms Brenna added: "People were calling home to say farewell to their loved-ones."

She told the court that the killer at one point had been so close she could smell gunpowder from his weapons and that she thought she would never get off the island alive.

"I thought it was only a question of time. It was impossible to avoid being hit, the shots were coming so rapidly," she said.

"On every side, people were falling. We could hear people falling into the water and on to the rocks," she added.

"There were calls for help. Mobile phones were ringing continuously."

Shivering with cold, survivors tried to raise their morale: "Tomorrow we will be home and warm and will be watching the Saturday night movie with our parents eating popcorn."

Having been targeted by a killer dressed as a police officer, the youngsters had been so terrified they refused to come out of their hiding place when real police passed near them in a boat, Ms Brenna added.

Breivik smiled cryptically several times during Wednesday's testimony.

He has been charged with committing terrorist acts when he first bombed a government building in Oslo, killing eight people, before heading out to Utoya to massacre 69 people, mostly teenagers, at a summer camp.

He has confessed to the acts but has refused to plead guilty, saying he acted in self-defence.

Breivik has said that the twin attacks were "cruel but necessary" to stop the Labour party's "multicultural experiment" and the "Muslim invasion" of Norway and Europe.

Although Breivik is almost certain to be found guilty, the 10-week trial will also determine whether or not he is responsible for his actions.

If the court finds him sane, Breivik will face Norway's maximum 21-year prison sentence, but that term can be extended for as long as he is considered a threat to society.

If he is found criminally insane however, he will be sent to a closed psychiatric care unit for treatment.

Breivik, who seems intent upon showing that his anti-Islam ideology is not the ravings of a lunatic, has described that as "worse than death".

Five judges will decide whether he should be considered sane or not when they hand down their verdict in mid-July.