Today the trial against Philip Manshaus concluded in Oslo. In August 2019, the far-right terrorist murdered his stepsister and then attempted to storm an Islamic centre in a suburb of Oslo. He was handed the highest possible sentence of 21 years, with a possibility for continued preventive detention after the prison term ends under a special clause called “forvaring”.
Additionally, he has to pay compensation to the victim’s relatives as well as legal fees of 100,000 kr, roughly €9,300.
Far-right terrorism
Judge Annika Lindström handed down this maximum sentence due to his claims in court that he had to carry out this attack in order to “save the white race”. The defence had pleaded insanity, but a psychiatric evaluation had found Manshaus fit to stand trial.
Motivated by extreme far-right ideology, the then 21-year-old murdered his Chinese-born stepsister Johanne Zhangjia Ihle-Hansen. He then went on to storm Al-Noor Mosque in the suburb of Bærum while heavily armed. But he was quickly overpowered by worshippers, which prevented further deaths.
Admiration for extremism
During his trial the failed terrorist was often pictured smiling at the cameras. He would also regularly make a Nazi salute upon entering the court room. And he was pictured making a white power sign in the court room on at least one occasion.
He also voiced his admiration of the far-right Christchurch terrorist who murdered 51 people last year at two mosques in the New Zealand city.
Links to the far-right Nordic Resistance Movement (NRM) also emerged during the trial. The 22-year-old had applied for membership of the organisation at the time of his failed attack.
According to the Counter Extremism Project (CEP), the NRM is a “neo-Nazi organization” with chapters across Scandinavia. It says that the NRM is “avowedly anti-Semitic, anti-gay, anti-immigrant, pro-white, and pro-Hitler”.
The group is also seen as responsible for the spike in neo-Nazi activity in Sweden in recent years.
Featured image via Twitter – Noor Andrè Zamir
