Were Sandy Hook Killings Inspired by Norwegian Massacre?

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February 18, 2013

New reports tonight suggest that Adam Lanza’s killing spree at Sandy Hook Elementary School may have been sparked by a July 2011 shooting and bombing attack in Norway that killed 77 people.

Law enforcement sources told The Hartford Courant that police investigators found several articles about Anders Behring Breivik, the Norwegian man convicted of the attack, in Lanza’s bedroom. However, those sources stressed that Lanza’s interest in Breivik is just one theory when it comes to the question of what motivated the massacre at Sandy Hook. CBS News reported Monday that Lanza “saw himself as being in direct competition” with Breivik.

Tomorrow night, The Courant and FRONTLINE team up to investigate the young man, his mother and the town he changed forever in Raising Adam Lanza.

The film is part of PBS’s “After Newtown” initiative, a series of documentaries, news reports and public affairs programs that provide thought-provoking context to the national conversation about gun violence in America. Check your local listings to find out when it’s on in your area.


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