Tomorrow marks the 3 year anniversary of the 22.07 massacre in Norway. I survived the attack. AMA

What is one thing about this whole event that will stick with you the most?

There was this one girl I got to know. The day before the attack she told me about her older sister who died before she was born. She told me that her purpose in life was to live the life for her sister. She died the next day.

What is the first thing you said to your parents when you saw them?

"Hi :)" and my mother just bursted out crying.

What was your first thought when you realized what was happening?

"Oh shit." I actually think I said it out loud when it first hit me. At the beginning I thought it was some teenagers messing around with AK47's for some reason, and in my head that wasn't such a big deal. Then people suddenly got shot in the room next to me, and panic ensued. When I heard the gunfire being so close, I realized that this wasn't just some joke or a drill. People were actually getting killed in the room next to me. "Oh shit."

EDIT: one word

Ignorance speaking here, but what/who are "Breivik people"? I'm sure I could Google it, but I'd rather learn something new from the Lordofseagulls.

I'm guessing right-wing extremists.. or Knights Templar, haha. Illuminati and freemasons. Okay but really, if you're talking about 'people like Breivik', it's those who supports his view. Cleansing your country of ethnic impurity, and maintaining a higher-class culture of your own christian/catholic race. Breivik's motive was to remove Islam from Norway, for one. It was an attack on a left-wing party that supports a multicultural Norway.

Oh, that reminds me! He called us by the term 'cultural-marxists'.

How do you feel about the Breivik receiving that kind of sentence?

I think they should've sentenced him to 15 minutes on the street.

No but seriously, I think it's ridicilous. Many people misinterpret the 21 years of being only 21 years. But the thing is, after 21 years has passed, they can judge whether or not he's safe to get back in civilization. If they deem it unsafe, they can keep him in 'custody' for another 5 years, 10 years, 21, years.. even if they're convinced he won't kill again, people will kill him the second he gets released. So I don't think he will ever get out.

On the other hand, I completely disagree on him being sane! I saw most of the trial, that guy is a fucking looney. One thing that bothered me was that the whole trial eventually turned into a stride in on whether he was sane or insane. By declaring him sane, they made him into a martyr. Because of that more people support him than what they would he would've been declared insane. Declaring him sane can make him look like some genius mastermind who knew what he was doing, and the whole Manifest-thing immediately appears more legitimate. If they declared him insane I believe more people would see him as some crazed gun-nut who went on a killing spree, with some crazy political rant that he called a 'manifest'. Many people disagree with me on this opinion, but I stand by it.

[deleted]

There's a bounty on his head. And seeing the incredible amount of people this tragedy affected, I wouldn't be surprised. This man is labeled a child-murderer, and often called 'the most hated man of Norway'. I just believe it's very unlikely that people wouldn't go after him if he ever got released.

Honestly he could also get killed in prison, if it is anything like the USA our criminals usually attack people that have hurt or abused children. So potentially he could not even make it to the streets.

edit I understand prison is a lot different there than it is here, this was just an idea I had in my head. Now I've been told how he will be isolated for this very reason as well.

He's actually being isolated from other prisoners because of just this.

Addition: Do you feel there should be a death punishment for such crimes? If not, do you think life without parole is befitting?

It's very hard to answer this question, as I feel that I should keep to my standards. I'd love them to kill him. I absolutely want people like him to get executed. But they shouldn't. If he was to be killed, it should've been on the island. Or give him the choice in prison. It is very hard to answer. I want him to be killed, but noone should kill him.

EDIT: A typo made me say I wanted to be killed, but not him, hah.

How has your life changed (good, bad, otherwise) as a direct result of this event?

Oh my life has definitely taken turns for the good after what happened. I helped save a life, and I made Kripos change an incorrect autopsy-report just before the trial.

After what happened I've felt a stronger sense of responsibility towards helping others. I care much more about other people in need than what I did before, and I learned that anything is possible as long as you're determined to make it happen. Perhaps a bit cliché, but after I surpassed the emotional damage, I felt like a much more capable person. It might be a reaction from what happened. Whenever I see someone in need (be it falling down, or someone who's too drunk to help themselves anywhere) I always rush to help as soon as I can.

But I also got more insecure after the incident. I felt that people avoided me because I was there, and I have since been very afraid of friends leaving me. I'm afraid that I might too awkward and weird, and I barely ever talk about my problems because I'm scared that it might repel people away. I do my best to hide this story away from new people I meet.. (what if they think I'm damaged and don't want anything to do with me? Nobody wants to hang out with some traumatized guy!!)

But I'm not traumatized (anymore). I'm actually doing very okay, and I never think of the incident, unless someone mentions it of course. But the aftermath has made some changes on my personality.

What is something that happened out there that you think wasn't well-reported by the media?

Maybe that the News-helicopter appeared like 45 minutes before the police. That really pissed me off when I found out it was cameras on that helicopter, and not any support. Oh, and the police on the mainland hid behind some containers in fear of being shot (what, there was like 3-400 meters from the island to the mainland, come on!!). Most of the officers didn't dare to do anything.

I'm actually not sure! I've been so absorbed in the whole case that I don't know what has and hasn't been covered.

As I've never been in situation like in which you took part in, I've no idea what goes through your head in one, so I hope that I'm not coming trough as rude.

Did you at any point think of trying to be a hero? Could've Breivik been stopped if someone had taken the lead?

I've gone through that scenario a hundred times in my head. "What if I hid in that tree and jumped him?" "What if I tackled him when he stood on that slightly uneven rocky hill?" "What if I pushed that piano against him while he walked up those stairs?" It never occured to me once to act heroic during the incident. Those thoughts only appeared in retrospect. I actually felt regret for a while for not attempting to kill him when I had "all those chances", but that was probably just trauma nagging my head. He could've been stopped sure, but it would've been a very reckless move. I know some people threw rocks against him, but that was about it. I detest people who say things like "If I was there, I would've assembled a group of 5 and ordered them to take strategic positions so we could've surrounded and gotten him!" One guy actually said something along those lines. That's not how your brain works when you're being attacked with guns. Not an untrained brain, at least.

Do you ever feel guilt about surviving? How do you deal with questions like "why not me?" Have you kept in touch or talked about this with any other survivors?

Many people have felt guilt about surviving, but I've never felt that. I was very lucky to partake in saving a life, and having a man die in my arms, having him -not- die alone, has actually been kind of an honor for me, in a way. He wasn't alone. I've always told myself that "things might've turned a little bit worse if I wasn't there", to help myself get over it.

How do you feel when people call you a hero?

Hah, if you asked me that a year or two ago, I'd probably go on a hateful rant. I used to detest being called a hero.

"I'm no hero! What I did was on instinct, anyone could've gotten in my situation! It was random! I'm no better than any other people on that island!"

But lately I've been starting to accept it for the better. It's a compliment, people mean well and respect when they call me a hero. I don't consider myself one, but it's nice having people saying I am. I have no reason to resent it.

In another response you said:

Oh my life has definitely taken turns for the good after what happened. I helped save a life, and I made Kripos change an incorrect autopsy-report just before the trial.

Could you elaborate on both stories? Who did you save and have you had contact with them since? And what did you change on the autopsy report?

Of course. I have posted a 'short' version on it before, but I'll post it again here with more accurate details.

I went inside a building with many, many other people. I heard lots and lots of gunshots outside, but I didn't see anything because we we're being strictly told to not go near the windows. I didn't really understand that it was gunshots until Breivik was in the room next to me. "Oh shit."

So I ran to the dining hall, and people were basically fighting and pushing eachother to get out the windows (even though there was a door that went outside to the right). I jumped down the windown and ran down a hill, but my pants got stuck in an iron hook, twisting me 180 degrees, and left my other foot got stuck in a hole. My body was in such an angle so that I couldn't budge. Maybe it was the adrenaline and panic that made me unable to free myself. I asked the kids running past me to stop and help me, but noone did. Of course not, they were in panic. Everyone just ran past me, and I just kept hearing the gunshots coming from the building right above me.

Suddenly a girl stopped and asked me - do you need help? I laughed and said yes, and she got me out. We held hands and walked through a forest the lakeside. There were more gunshots (though now in the distance) and screaming, so we separated ways for some reason.

I stopped, to get oriented on my location I guess. I looked behind me, and there was this girl lying on the ground with people around her. I ran up, and just saw lots of blood. I asked "Is there anything I can do to help?", so they asked me to put pressure on a wound that had hitten her right arm, which just wouldn't stop bleeding. So they told me to find a big rock to pressurize the wound. She was shot 5 times. This one guy tore up his shirt to use as bandage. So me and 4 others just sat there, hidden behind some tall grass (a terrible disguise!) tending her wounds. We were not far behind the path (10,15 meters). I kept talking to the girl, looking her in the eyes, and told her it would be all right. I remember her eyes fading into some kind of shade of grey. I kept her conscious during the whole episode. At one point she asked me to kiss her, so I did. That's a kiss you don't forget, heh.

Breivik came after a while, killing 14 people 15-20 meters away from us, that had hidden by the lakeside, opposite direction of us. I remember people screaming and specifically one girl screaming 'No', and the gunshots that silenced them.

While this was going on, it felt like a hundred things going on with me. My legs were paralyzed from being pressed between the wounded girl and a small baby tree. I remember looking at a droplet falling off a leaf, and I thought "Fuck, the world is ugly." I don't think any of us considered leaving the girl when Breivik was there. I just tried to make myself as small as possible to avoid him seeing his. I deemed it impossible to not to be seen, so what basically went through my head was "Well, this is it. Kill me already." I actually wanted him to kill me as fast as possible, and I grew kinda impatient waiting for him to put a bullet in the back of my head. But he didn't see us, and he kept walking.

After what seemed like forever, we heard boats coming. We carried the girl down to the boats, and I remember that the first thing I looked at, was directly into the eyes of a dead man. This was where he killed all those people (14 in total). That kinda sat an impression.

I was put in another boat than the girl, and I thought that it would all be over now. But then an unknown wounded man was placed in my lap. He was shot in the back of his head, and I had to keep pressure on the wound. But I only had my hands, so blood came pouring from his head on my hands. The boat started to drive, and the man was just trying to breathe. While I sat there, trying to reach him, he just started to rattle. A death rattle for maybe half a minute. And then he died, right before we got to land.

Later I learned that they said he died of drowning, and not gunshot wounds. I made a big case out of this, got a lawyer sent to my hometown with all of the interviews and interrogations from the island. I spent so many hours searching for proof that he didn't drown, and after collecting enough evidence, I started having frequent calls with Kripos (Norwegian FBI, I suppose), and eventually made them change the autopsy-report, just before the trial began. Hearing them say and confirm his actual cause of death on the trial was a relief.

EDIT: Typo

"I was put in another boat than the girl" - do you know what happened to her after? did you see her again?

Her right arm will always be a bit damaged. I've met her twice after what happened, but we don't really keep in touch. She's an incredible girl, fluttering of positivity and I think she's doing very good in politics.

and I think she's doing very good in politics.

Do you see any signs that having survived Utoya is helping someone's political career? Like it gives them extra publicity and / or respect because of it?

All publicity is good publicity. Yes, many has gained some extra attention for being on the island and still being in politics. Unfortunately news articles then usually starts with "Utøya-survivor has a political opinion about economics!" where one third of the article often focuses on the fact that they survived, and then their actual opinion.

But, hrm.. come to think of, it's not so much of that now. But many of the survivors has gotten roles as leaders (or similar high positions) in their regional/communal districts.

Suddenly a girl stopped and asked me - do you need help? I laughed and said yes, and she got me out. We held hands and walked through a forest the lakeside. There were more gunshots (though now in the distance) and screaming, so we separated ways for some reason.

Did you get a chance to meet that girl again and thank her?

Yes I did! I tracked her down eventually. I actually went through the newspaper and radio to find her, so I could thank her for what she did. We even managed to get a funded trip so we could meet, and so I could give her a proper Thank You. I sometimes call her out for a coffee or beer when I'm passing by where she lives.

While I sat there, trying to reach him, he just started to rall.

Did you mean rattle? I don't think rall is a word (in English).

Thank you, fixed it.

Did you get injured in any way?

After I realized that we were actually getting shot at, I ran towards a window and jumped out. It was a bit of a fall, and I scratched my hand a little on the wall. A bit anticlimatic yes, but I was very lucky not getting shot, though there were some close calls.

Did you personally lose or know any of the victims?

I was friends with one of them. I got to know 3-4 others who died. Though I barely knew anything about them, I felt that I knew them much better than I did after they died.

Do you ever have serious nightmares about it?

I've only had one or two nightmares, and I think it was last year. The dream I remember was me being in the trial watching what happened. Suddenly all the lights turned off, and I heard a terrible shriek. I woke up with my heart slamming like crazy, but otherwise I've never had any nightmares because of what happened.

How were survivors such as yourself handled afterwards? How do you recover from an event like that?

You'd be surprised how 'badly' we were taken care of. We, the survivors got the chance to go to this meeting every 2-3 weeks for like 6 months. We got pizza and talked about our feelings. It was nice when we did that, but 6 months wasn't enough for many of us, and the meetings just weren't frequent enough.

I feel bad for my school, they had no idea how to handle me and two other friends who also were there. I often got a warning when they were about to show a movie that had some graphic content (gunfight or death), but I didn't need that. I needed help to learn what I needed to learn, and I needed people not to fear me. I can't blame them though, how do you even react to students who went through something like that? We didn't get nearly enough help as we needed, we actually had to pay for psychiatrists when we turned 18 (which was under a year after what happened).

I have no idea how I recovered the way I did. I guess my actions on the island contributed a lot to make me feel like a good person. I felt that I played some part in the greater picture of the incident, at least that's what I told myself. Seeing dead bodies and their empty expressions hardly did anything to me. I was lucky there.

I think what really made me recover was the great amount of support I got from friends and strangers. I got a text once from a stranger once, telling me that I had his support through this. People were incredibly nice after what happened, and I couldn't be more grateful for that.

What is your stance on citizen ownership of firearms, and has that changed since the incident?

Too many idiots are allowed to have guns. I'm grateful that my country doesn't promote guns. I have never given it much thought actually, but when I hear about shootings all over the world, it hits me a bit harder then what other disasters normally do. The combination of gunfire and screaming shouldn't be experienced by anyone. The sound of gunshots shouldn't even be heard outside the shooting range by anyone.

What thoughts go through your mind as you reach the 3 year anniversary of the massacre?

Wow, it's actually over 00.00 now.. I've gone the whole day thinking "I don't want to make such a big deal out of this.. but I don't want to be alone either.. maybe I should go to a memorial, or maybe I should just sit here.. but it's not appropriate to just sit doing nothing on this day either." My thoughts have been going back and forth, so I eventually decided to do this AMA. Providing interesting information to you guys would be the greatest way to go through this day with. In a way it's kinda nice to think back on what happened that day, because I never do that anymore. I don't want to forget what happened, as it taught me so many important lessons.

Thanks for just sharing this! Probably the reddit post i will remind myself the longest! My question for you: do you still meet people who were on the island too?

I'm glad you appreciate it. :) Most of my best friends were there, so yes! I sometimes keep in touch with another girl who became my girlfriend for a few months after the incident. We're good. Most of my friends are doing amazingly well, it almost seems like a 'regional thing'.

Hello from Sweden! I remember where I was when I heard of the shooting and bombs in Oslo. Lets hope anything like this never happens again.

My question is, did you guys hear of the bombs before the shooting itself? What was the atmosphere like at Utøya in the minutes before the shooting?

We heard about the bombs, yes. It was so unreal. We were told to call our parents and tell them that we were allright. I almost didn't believe it, I assumed it a gas leak that had ignited, or some trivial thing. A -bomb- was just plain ridicilous. After a short while they confirmed that one person had died, and that was when people got kinda uneasy. I sent a text to a friend and told him to make sure that two friends from Oslo were okay. At that point I didn't know what kind of a building it was that was bombed, but the whole atmosphere got less and less comfortable by the second. Everyone was worried and called their family and friends. But there were thousands of people attempting to call eachother, so the communication went down for many of us.

We were assembled in groups for information, and one of the leaders told us "There is nothing to worry about. You're on the safest place on earth!". 10 minutes after the shooting started.

Thank you for doing this ama. Since I am norwegian myself i read the whole article that you used as proof and I would like to ask: When the man that robbed you, threathened to stab you. what was your first thought? and how has both the episodes changed your view on life and not being afraid of death?

When he stood infront of me and threatened to stab, I don't think I single thought went through my head. I just looked at him. I guess I froze, but I wasn't afraid. He swiped the phone, and I immediately went to the nearest police patrol. When I sat in the car and they asked for a description, I just burst out laughing while describing him. I guess I was partly in shock, and partly in awe that it was even possible.

The robbery wasn't such a big deal (it was less than a month after the events!) so I got distracted with so many other things. Anyway, I've learned to appreciate people and community so much. I love to love people, love became such a central part of my life after what happened. Actually, during the incident I called a girl I told her I loved her for the first time in my life. I learned to appreciate intimacy and closeness (platonic and not) much more than what I did before.

Oh, and maybe I should elaborate more on not being afraid of death. Before the incident I had massive anxiety everytime I just imagined the thought of dying. When I came in the situation where I wanted to die, grew impatient of being killed, it just completely disappeared. It's not a dark and heavy thought anymore. I don't have the 'need' to think about death anymore.

I feel that I sort of rambled on this reply, but in short, I've learned love people more than I did, and I want to help anyone I see in need. I've gotten a more emphatic point of view on life.

What happened between you and that girl (the girl you called and confessed during the incident) after that ?

It didn't work out. Way-too-long distance, and I was too damaged to be able to make it work in any way.

Did the police ever say or make a comment on what took so long to respond? Did you feel any anger towards them for not getting there soon enough?

They've been vague. I can not ever forgive them for taking the time they did. Did you hear that they attempted to get to the island in a small rubber boat, 6km from the island? The boat sank, and they needed to borrow an actual boat from civilians.

What has bugged me the most is that they have never publicly apologized. They even made a public report on their effort during that day, and according to the report they did everything right, precisely according to protocol.

Breivik was free to roam the island for 1 hour and 20 minutes. It took 3 hours in total from the bomb went off.

In some of your comments you talk about people supporting the shooter and his view of getting rid of non Norwegians. So my question is, why do those people think Breivik killing a bunch of Norwegian kids (they looked all white from the news clips) will help get rid of non-Norwegians? I know that anyone who supports Breivik is totally brain dead, but it seems even they would see that it was counterproductive.

Strange, isn't it? According to him, it was just as important to kill future politicians who would be open for inviting immigrants inside the country. The attack on the left-wing political party was a symbolic one, to show how much he opposed their views. The people he killed were 'cultural marxists' as he called them, and they were apparently evil. Out of the 77 he killed, I believe between 2-4 of them were colored. It was idiotic. According to him, this was the best and only way to get the attention he needed.

Have you read his manifesto? What did you think of it?

Most of the manifesto is just copy/paste from different quotes on Wikipedia. I've looked a bit into it, but that's like 2 years ago or more. I remember not making much sense of it. I guess you have to be in a certain state of mind to make the most out of it. Breivik was completely absorbed in what he did, and probably saw some deeper meaning in it than what most people did.

I mean, he cried one time during the trial, and that was when he saw his own youtube-video, because it was so beautifully edited, and he was so great at making it.. anyway, from what I remember the manifesto was boring and not worth my time. It contained quotes, recipes, rambling and history.

I was at a Pittsburgh Pirates game with my ex girlfriend when that shit happened. I remember checking the news on my phone and just crying in my dugout box seats...Some of the players saw me and looked at me like I was crazy. I was just so offended that someone could do that to a group of kids. I was thousands of miles away and that day still haunts me. I'm glad you're okay. I hope someone gets to that dickhead in prison...I'm glad you've chosen to talk about it though.

My question is, If you could say one thing to him...what would it be?

"You lost."

Did you ever make eye contact with Breivik, be it during the attack or at the trial? I can't begin to imagine what that would be like.

Secondly, have you ever had any flashbacks, or PTSD?

I never saw Breivik in real life. We watched the trial in a court room that streamed everything directly from the capital. We got to see everything that the rest of the world were cencored from.

I had some flashbacks in the first days or weeks after the incident. A particularly disfigured body, and the feeling of warm blood streaming on my hand. But those went over fairly quickly.

I am worried about getting PTSD in the future. I don't think it'll happen, but it might.

How are you today?

I'm very good! This AMA has certainly made me fear less for the day to come. When I wrote my proof on the piece of paper for this AMA I was literally shaking, I could barely write straight. But I think this will be a very good day.

You guys are so nice. It's been very enjoyable writing to you. I bet I'll be able to go through this day with ease. I've been very worried about this day. But there have been so many reflections and interesting questions here to answer, that I've almost forgotten why I was nervous in the first place.

Has your politics changed in any way over the past three years as a result of what happened or otherwise?

I got sick of politics after what happened. Everything seemed to be focused on the tragedy for so long, that I decided to just drop everything.

Hi! I'm from the US so I grew up knowing about shootings like The Virginia Tech massacre and the Columbine shootings (or, closer to you, the Jokela School shooting in Finland). What's weird is I come across a lot of forums where members express sympathy for the shooters, like they were outcasts that were tired of being bullied.

So my question-have you heard or read anything about Breivik sympathizers? Like people that have agreed with his views?

I consciously avoided sites that expressed empathy towards Breivik in the beginning, but I couldn't help myself looking into it the occasional time. If I remember correctly, there was this one site who proposed to 'finish the job' on one of my friends who survived - that was disturbing, but nothing ever happened. I also remember this crazy german woman who claimed to be Breivik's girlfriend, and attempted to get into the trial a time or two. I'm trying to remember, but no, I haven't heard too much about or from any sympathizers! I guess I've just avoided most opportunities I got to do that.

Thank you for doing this AMA. A lot of politicians in the United States on both sides used this as an argument over gun control. Do you think politicizing events like this is wrong or do you think it's beneficial in bringing dialogue to the table?

Events like this should definitely not be forgotten. As long as the arguments are fair and not exaggerated. I think it's only sensible that real life events are being used in debates, because it really puts the possible consequences out in a brighter light. In Norway it's illegal to carry a gun under any circumstances, and we are strict on who gets to own one. There are extremely few cases where a gun is being used over here, and most of the time it's used by persons who doesn't even have a gun permit. Not sure if this answered your question.

Are politicians in America using this case as an argument in favor for guns?

Not sure if I'm too late on this but how did the media react when this happened? Was it 24/7 non stop coverage with people making exaggerations and going into extreme details on the guy who did this? Or was it more low key?

It was 24/7. It went on for months. We haven't had anything as grave since WWII, so it was quite a big deal in media.

Thanks for your time doing this. Your story is amazing and your positive outlook on life is incredible after going through a horror like this.

My question: I saw a documentary on Utoya about a year ago and since the massacre it was said that the Prime Minister of Norway at the time lost the next election to a more 'hardline' guy who opposed immigration. Also there have been many accounts of immigrants being attacked and there is a public sway towards a tougher stance on immigration.

Looking at this, does it feel like Breivik's actions kind of got the results he was looking for?

Thanks

I know that some colored persons/muslims got attacked during/after the incident, before anyone knew that the perpetrator actually was a white, ethnic Norwegian. I thought hate-crimes had decreased over the last few years! Most of the messages that were spread after Utøya was love and solidarity. I think you still have to be a bit careful spreading such thoughts over here. I don't really think Breivik has accomplished as much as he thought he would've. But his message has probably gotten through to some racists and other hateful people. It's impossible for him not being an inspiration to at least some people. But the way I get it, is that we're starting to develop intolerance towards intolerance. I hope it's heading that way, at least.

How do you feel about AUF and AP turning the memory into one massive PR push with useless memorials?

Disrespectful, useless and a big waste of money are the first things that comes to mind. Have you heard that they're planning to -cut an island in half-?

http://lnk.nu/google.no/1ch5h

They're actually going to do this, without the consent of the survivors. This is a topic that makes me mad. They've spent millions upon millions making memorials that are supposed to be symbolic to what our nation feels after the attack. They could've used those millions on.. oh, I don't know.. the poor? Addicts? Fixing roads? The survivors who are unable to get proper education because of lack of the psychological they actually need?

No!

They're building tourist-attractions all over the country. It's a giant flop, and it's disrespectful to an extent that I can't even begin to express. Here's some food for thought: what if we have another massacre? Another tragedy? Are we going to build another hundred memorials everytime something bad happens? This is a case I'm burning for. Rant over.

Did you actually get a look at him on the Island?

If so, I'm curious, What kind of face was he wearing as he was attempting his massacre?

I didn't see him, but I've heard many stories of how his facial expressions. One of my close friends actually saw him up close. Breivik looked at him and smiled, and then went and shot at a larger group of people. My friend was damn lucky. Other reports are saying that he smiled, laughed and yelled. Other said he had a blank face. It probably varied quite a lot.

EDIT: minor typo

There was a picture on the internet made from a helicopter. There was a kid sitting on the rocks with his hands towards Breivik in a "don't do it" stance while Breivik is pointing a gun at him. I don't know if he survived and I don't want to find out... But, do you know more people who have had a gun pointed at their head and Breivik didn't do anything?

I think that kid survived because he looked 'right-wing'. A friend of mine had a similar-ish experience. He was standing away from a larger group of people, so when Breivik arrived he looked him in the eye and smiled.. and then went to shoot the group of people.

You mentioned being fed up with politics, and It sounds like you've changed a lot from the person you were 3 years ago. I guess what I'm wondering is, where do you see yourself 3 years from now?

In 3 years I'll be an even better person. I'm working towards an education, which I know I'll get within a year, and I'll live for myself (maybe even with a special one). I'm terrible at thinking far ahead, but I believe that life will be a huge improvement from where I'm standing now. I can barely wait to see what awaits me.

Norway is often considered one of the safer places in the world -- it seems silly to ask, but has this experience altered that feeling of safety for you? Have your friends and family members felt less safe?

Også, tusen takk for at gjør det AMA. Jeg har vært interressert i 22 juli angrepene, og det er godt å høre fra en reell kilde. Du er veldig modig og moden. (sorry for min dårlig norsk. Det er mitt andre språk men jeg ønsket å vise respekt ved å bruke det).

I don't feel any less safer than what I did before. But I've grown more vary to the outside dangers (mainly thugs on the street). Sadly some survivors have grown paranoid to strangers. I think most of them are over that now. But I remember hearing about a girl who jumped in some bushes to hide when she saw a guy jogging towards her.

Det er rørende at du skriver norsk for å vise respekt. Jeg setter veldig stor pris på at du gjorde det :)

What do you think those of us far away from Norway could do on the anniversary to honor, pay tribute to, or otherwise pay our respects to those who were lost?

Show respect for your fellow human. Help those in need, and be a good friend.

What did you feel during the attack? What was going through your mind? Was it pure adrenaline? I just cannot imagine it-- being in survival mode for such a long time.

I can give you a 'timeline' of my emotions.

When I first heard the gunshots and people started worrying and screaming in the distance and hurried us in the big house, I was frankly annoyed (though obviously in some kind of weird shock looking back at it). I said loudly "Nope, I won't take of my shoes this time if noone else is!" and "Okay, I'll just go inside this room, since everyone else is!" When Breivik started shooting outside the house (which I didn't see), many people started to scream and panic. I yelled "Calm down!!". I was very calm myself.. until he started to shoot in the room next to me.

Then I blurted "Oh Shit", and my body got fueled with, yes, pure adrenaline. It was all about survival, I jumped out the window and rushed down a hill that was very steep (when I came back next month, I had no clue how I managed to rush down that hill without breaking my neck). So my reflexes were, so to say, awesome. I was in panic and probably had no limits to what I could've done.

When I got stuck and helped up by that girl, I was very calm again. Probably filled with adrenaline, but more calm and oriented. On instinct I called my parents and texted a friend, and then started to help the wounded girl. I didn't feel anything, just determination on saving her life.

When Breivik came I wasn't scared, but rather impatient on him taking so long killing me.

When I went past the group of dead bodies, everything went very fast, faster than I've ever experienced anything - suddenly I was on the rescue boat.

When I took care of the man who died in my arms, I felt the same determination I felt for the wounded girl - keep him alive and conscious. When he died, I told the medics on land that he was dead, and carried on to a bus that led us to safety. I felt very much determination during the incident.

Were you at Breivik's trial, and if so, what was going though your mind then?

I laughed -alot- during the trial. Some of his statements were so insane whenever he tried to explain himself. When I didn't laugh, I was completely puzzled and frustrated. There was so little sense to actually get out of it all. He used ridicilous overly complicated political terms to make a point, and his 'defense' was an half hour speech about the history of Knight's Templars. It was completely absurd, all of it.

Some of his statements and 'strategic plans' were so far out that I refused to believe that he was sane.

"My plan was actually to steal a plane, perform the massacre, and then fly to Russia for immunity!!"

Is it true that the police response was delayed by the typical Norwegian summer vacation? How does that make you feel?

I'm actually not sure, but there there were an amazing number of flaws during their action. You should check into it, it's a very interesting read - seeing how much can go wrong during such an actual national crisis.

[deleted]

I watched it live from a court room in my hometown. My lawyer gave me an opportunity or two to go see part of the trial live, but I couldn't because of school and money. It'd just be a plane ticket over to the capital for a day, and then back again. In the end it wouldn't be worth it anyway.

Was it hard to sleep immediately after you got off the island and were safe?

I slept like a stone the first night. :)

When you see reports that this man is complaining about his conditions in prison, how does that make you feel?

Happy. A small fragment of me feel bad for him, because it's obvious that he isn't doing well. On the other hand, what did he expect? I don't feel sad for him, I wish he had it worse than he does. I just don't hope that they will grant him a PS3 for God's sake. That's his no.1 complaint at the moment, as far as I understand.

What do you think was what made it possible for Norway people to react in a quite different way from the US after 9/11 ?

Good question! I have absolutely no idea how things turned out the way they did. The massive message of love and roses were amazing. The roses were probably symbolic for the party that got attacked (for some), and for love and respect for the rest.

I believe we had a good starting point with the quote "If one man can show that much hate, imagine how much love we can spread together", that appeared after the first or second day. Norway is a very small country aswell, 5 million citizens, so the tragedy hit us harder nationally than what it would in America, I believe. Thousands of people were either directly or indirectly affected by what happened.

It's hard to answer, but USA and Norway are two very different countries, in scale and culture.

Did you see anyone die?

One person who died in my arms. I have no count on how many dead people I saw.

Where did you flee to, and how do you think that decision helped you survive? Why did you go in that direction?

http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/2bbydq/tomorrow_marks_the_3_year_anniversary_of_the_2207/cj3ucdw If I didn't help the girl, I could've ended up anywhere in disorientation and gotten myself killed.