(22 Jun 2012) STORYLINE:
The defence has started its closing arguments on the last day of the 10-week trial of confessed Norwegian mass killer Anders Behring Breivik.
Breivik's lawyers are expected to use Friday's closing arguments at Oslo district court to rebut the prosecution's assertion that the self-described anti-Muslim militant should be declared insane and sent to a mental institution.
Breivik, who was brought to court escorted by an armed police guard, insists he is sane and that he carried out the July 22 attacks for political reasons.
Defence lawyer Geir Lippestad told the court that his client admits that he carried out the bombing and-shooting attacks that killed 77 people on July 22 the way they have been presented in court.
During the trial two teams of psychiatrists reached opposite conclusions about Breivik's mental health.
The first team diagnosed him with "paranoid schizophrenia," a serious mental illness which would preclude a prison sentence.
The second team found him legally sane, saying he suffers from a dissocial and narcissistic personality disorder, but is not psychotic.
Ultimately, it's up to the Oslo district court to decide whether Breivik is criminally insane when it presents its ruling, expected in a months time.
Either way, the 33-year-old Norwegian will likely be locked up for most, if not all of his life.
The judges already signalled that they will need time before passing sentence.
The outcome will also influence whether Norway's worst peacetime massacre goes down in history as right-wing extremism or as the work of a bloodthirsty madman.
If the court opts for a prison term, prosecutors said their preference would be the maximum sentence of 21 years.
A sentence can be extended beyond that if a prisoner is considered a menace to society.
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