The trial of Anders Breivik, who has admitted to killing 77 people in Norway during twin attacks, will be held behind closed doors, court officials said on Thursday.
"According to the district court's decision, entry to the trial will be closed for journalists, as well as relatives of the victims and survivors of the attacks," the Norwegian HPK TV channel said, citing the Oslo court where Breivik will stand trial on September 19.
It also cited the "extraordinary" nature of the charges against Breivik, who has said that while he carried out the July 22 attacks, he does not consider himself guilty. He says his killing spree was a "wake-up call" to the dangers of multiculturalism.
The court said it had gone back on an earlier decision to allow limited access to the trial for media and relatives over fears that Breivik may not have been acting alone and that an open trial could threaten the prosecution's case.
Breivik has confessed to killing eight people with a car bomb in downtown Oslo before shooting dead 69 others on the island of Utoya, where the governing Labor Party's youth branch was holding a summer camp. He could be jailed for up to 30 years if convicted.
