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Were Sandy Hook Killings Inspired by Norwegian Massacre?

Were Sandy Hook Killings Inspired by Norwegian Massacre?
Were Sandy Hook Killings Inspired by Norwegian Massacre?

By

Sarah Moughty

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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Raising Adam Lanza

Raising Adam Lanza

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Jon and Jo Ann Hagler on behalf of the Jon L. Hagler Foundation

Koo and Patricia Yuen

FRONTLINE is a registered trademark of WGBH Educational Foundation. Web Site Copyright ©1995-2025 WGBH Educational Foundation. PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.

Funding for FRONTLINE is provided through the support of PBS viewers and by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Additional funding is provided by the Abrams Foundation; Park Foundation; the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; and the FRONTLINE Journalism Fund with major support from Jon and Jo Ann Hagler on behalf of the Jon L. Hagler Foundation, and additional support from Koo and Patricia Yuen. FRONTLINE is a registered trademark of WGBH Educational Foundation. Web Site Copyright ©1995-2025 WGBH Educational Foundation. PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.

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