Killer moved to new prison away from Utoya

(GETTY IMAGES)

Anders Breivik was moved from the country's highest security jail yesterday because it lies within sight of Utoya Island.

Norway's most violent offenders are usually sent to Ringerike prison, a sprawling complex on the western side of Tyrifjorden, the lake which surrounds the island where Mr Breivik shot dead 68 people.

But prison officials decided it was inappropriate to place the 32-year-old far-right fundamentalist in a cell that might face the scene of his massacre. Instead, Mr Breivik was moved to Ila prison yesterday morning in an unmarked black Volkswagen car for the start of a four-week spell in isolation as prosecutors and police continue to build a case against him.

Speaking about the discomfort many Norwegians felt about placing Mr Breivik in Ringerike, Knut Arne Svenkerud, the head of Norway's prison authorities, said: "It would be ethically reprehensible to have him in Ringerike where he would have views of Tyrifjorden." Ila, which lies on the western outskirts of Oslo on a site where the Nazis had a concentration camp during the occupation of Norway, can hold up to 150 inmates.

Mr Breivik will be kept in solitary confinement in a cell that has only a bed, toilet, table and a chair. Under the conditions set by a judge this week he will have no access to the internet or media and will be forbidden from receiving letters and visitors.

Knut Bjarkeid, the head of the prison, said the arrival of Mr Breivik would test his staff's professionalism but he vowed to make sure that the perpetrator of last week's twin attacks is not harmed by other prisoners. "We'll ensure that his safety is maintained and that he won't be subject to abuse or attacks from fellow inmates," he said. "He will only get to meet prison guards, a nurse, a priest and his attorney."

Security around Mr Breivik will inevitably be tight. In his rambling manifesto, the Christian fundamentalist described how he would try to break out of prison and carry out a second attack if given the chance.