The security guards did not notice Anders Behring Breivik's escape from the van that he had parked outside the government high rise, Nordheim explained. It took a few days after the trial before he was informed that surveillance photos showing Breivik leaving the area in a police uniform had been released.
Nordheim was one of the witnesses who testified in the 10th day of court Friday, along with two employees who were working in the government headquarter on July 22.
Obviously, the security was not good enough when somebody can place a 950 kilo-bomb outside the government quarter, he told reporters after Friday's testimony. "The Commission for July 22nd will have to study and determine who could have done what, and what could have been done differently."
There was a plan in the works of closing the street where Breivik parked the van. However, Nordheim thinks that the accused would have still set off the bomb, and simply parked the car somewhere else.
After the terror attacks, Nordheim continued in his position as Head of Security, but left his position with immediate effect in March due to exhaustion. He is now on sick leave. He emphasizes that all his staff did a good job when the terror attacks struck Oslo. Still, it would be arrogant to say that nothing could have been done differently, Nordheim adds.
The levels of security practiced in the government headquarters rely on threat assessments done by the police. Meanwhile, each individual ministry decides the size of the security department's budget.
NRK reports that Ivar Gammelmo, former Director of the service center for all the ministries, already warned back in 2008 that the security center at the government headquarters was way outdated.
There will now be a pause in the Breivik trial, until Thursday.
(NRK)
Julie Ryland
On the 10th day of the July 22nd trial, f
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Terrorist-accused Anders Behring Breivik does not think that the pain he caused to the victims or their friends and families on July 22 will ever affect him.
