I am resistance leader, Norway killer tells court

Mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik came face-to-face with the families of some of his 77 victims today, and declared himself the "commander" of a Norwegian resistance movement.

Appearing in a public court for the first time, the Right-wing extremist, who went on a gun rampage at a youth camp near Oslo, tried to give a speech but was cut off by the judge.

Wearing a dark suit, he was escorted by guards into an Oslo courtroom packed with reporters and members of the public, including survivors of the shooting.

He said: "I am a military commander in the Norwegian resistance movement and Knights Templar Norway. I object to [the court] because you received your mandate from organisations that support hate ideology [and] because it supports multiculturalism. I acknowledge the acts but I do not plead guilty."

Breivik set off a fertiliser bomb outside government offices in Oslo on July 22, killing eight people, before heading to Utoya island, where young members of Norway's governing Labour Party were gathered for a summer camp. Disguised as a policeman, he opened fire, shooting some youths as they fled into the water.

Sixty-nine people were killed on the island before Breivik surrendered to armed police. He pleaded not guilty to terror charges, claiming he is in a state of war to protect Europe from being taken over by Muslim migrants.

At today's hearing the judge made an order to keep him jailed for 12 more weeks before a trial, with restrictions on media access, visitors and mail. The judge also lifted a reporting ban. Previous hearings have been closed to the public.