Norway mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik demands to be acquitted as trial ends

Norwegian mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik demanded to be set free as his 10-week trial ended today.

The 33-year-old said history would exonerate him for killing 77 people in Oslo and Utoeya last July in the country’s worst peace-time atrocity, Bloomberg reported.

Breivik claims to have carried out the bomb and gun attacks to put a stop to multiculturalism and the spread of Islam.

"History shows that you have to commit a small barbarism to prevent a bigger barbarism," the far-right extremist told the court, the Associated Press reported.

"The attacks on July 22 were preventive attacks to defend the indigenous Norwegian people," he said. "I therefore demand to be acquitted."

Dozens of relatives of victims walked out of the courtroom when Breivik began his statement, the Telegraph said.

It is now up to the five-judge panel to decide if the self-confessed killer is sane enough for prison, which has been the key issue in the trial, Bloomberg noted.

Psychiatrists who assessed Breivik gave conflicting diagnoses, with one report declaring him a paranoid schizophrenic and another finding him disturbed but rational.

The Wall Street Journal said defense lawyer Geir Lippestad told the court earlier today that his client wanted to be set free, was sane and if convicted should be sentenced to a fixed prison term. 

But prosecutors argued Thursday he should be considered insane and put into psychiatric care.

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The judges will announce their decision on August 24.