Norwegian Killer's Manifesto Mentions Modern Warfare 2 as 'Training Simulator'

Anders Behring Breivik, the Norwegian man who has been arrested for killing over 76 people in a bomb attack in Oslo on Friday and a subsequent mass shooting at a political youth group retreat, claims in an exhaustive manifesto that he trained for the attacks using Modern Warfare 2. That claim comes from a 1500 page manifesto entitled "2083 – A European Declaration of Independence," which is making the rounds today (you can find a copy of it here via this blog).

In it, Breivik complains about the "rise of cultural Marxism/multiculturalism" and "Islamic colonization and Islamisation of Western Europe." He goes on to lay out how "fellow patriots" can combat the situation - and most his solutions end with violence.

But for the sake of discussion, we're going to skip all that (you can read an exhaustive report from the Associated Press here) and jump to the part in the manifesto where he talks about Modern Warfare 2 and using MMO games such as World of Warcraft to explain being in isolation while you "train."

In a February 2010 entry he writes about buying "Modern Warfare 2" and claims that it is "probably the best military simulator out there and it’s one of the hottest games this year." He goes on to say that the first game wasn't to his liking, but he sees Modern Warfare 2 as more of a "training-simulation than anything else."

He also mentions that the best way of "avoiding suspicion from relatives, neighbours and friends," for your activities is to tell them “that you have started to play World of Warcraft or any other online MMO game and that you wish to focus on this for the next months/year." Berwick says this will help you "justify isolation and people will understand somewhat why you are not answering your phone over long periods."

Under a subsection entitled "Training Facilities," he recommends "[traditional] military training facilities focused on physical conditioning and skills training," but says that "[newer] facilities make extensive use of computer simulations of various kinds to provide more hours or training in more realistic situations at lower cost and with lower risk to personnel." He advises that "[temporary] arrangements can be made with the local gun club, the local gym and an internet café which facilitates multiplayer Modern Warfare 2 simulation."

In another subsection entitled "Marksmanship," he claims that real-world practice with "a real assault rifle" is important, but that "[simulation] by playing Call of Duty, Modern Warfare is a good alternative as well."

While the mere mention of a video game in a rambling, 1500 page manifesto might be enough proof for some, the connection between Breivik’s actions and his alleged training with MW2 are tenuous is best. Nevertheless, we will continue to report on this story as it develops.

Source: PC World