Norway Gunman To Appear In Court Via Video Link

Anders Behring Breivik killed nearly 80 people

A court in Oslo has ruled that Anders Behring Breivik, the gunman behind this summer's twin attacks in Norway, will make his next court appearance via video link.

The November 14 videoconference appearance will be a first for Norway's courts, made possible by a legal change that came into effect on September 1.

The ruling followed a police request, which cited the cost and logistical hurdles of transporting the country's highest-profile defendant.

At the hearing, the court will have to decide on whether to extend Breivik's provisional detention for another 12 weeks.

The court must also decide whether to allow an open hearing. Breivik, 32, has admitted to setting off a car bomb outside Norway's government offices in Oslo on July 22, killing eight people.

He then went on to shoot and kill 69 people, mostly teenagers, on the nearby island of Utoeya.

compiled from agency reports