Saakashvili on Norway Attacks, Says Gunman is ‘Beast’
A Norwegian gunman, who killed 77 people in Oslo bombing and shooting spree on Utøya island, is "animal" and "beast" for whom the punishment he is facing may not be adequate, President Saakashvili said on August 2.
He was speaking after meeting with Natia Chkhetiani, a Georgian participant of a youth camp on Utøya island who survived the attack on July 22.
Another Georgian participant of the camp, Tamta Liparteliani, 23, was killed in the attack. Her body is expected to be brought to his native Kutaisi in western Georgia on August 4.
Saakashvili said that what had happened was "a huge tragedy" for Tamta’s family and for entire Georgia.
"A beast is a beast everywhere, no matter whether it is in Georgia, South Pole or Norway. That creature, who has committed it is a real animal – I can’t call him otherwise," Saakashvili said.
“I have seen Norwegian prisons, which look more like a sanatorium. I do not even know what kind of sentence this beast should serve in that ‘sanatorium’ and whether it will be an adequate punishment for what he has committed,” Saakashvili said.
Anders Behring Breivik, who has confessed to the bombing in Oslo and shooting attack on Utøya island, has been charged by police with terrorism, which carries a sentence of up to 21 years.