UPDATE on 17.07.2013 [Thanks to Carl Berg]: According to Euronews, there doesn't seem to be much evidence suggesting that Varg Vikernes was planning any sort of terrorist action. It seems that the arrest was based on a "blog post" made by Vikernes after the fatal derailing of the Bretigny train last week which contained ant-semitic remarks. The new update also confirms that the police custody of Varg Vikernes and his French wife Marie Cachet arrested on Tuesday in southwestern France has been extended by 24 hours, judiciary sources told news agency AFP.

French news website Le Nouvel Obs reports that the Central Directorate of Interior Intelligence decided to act after a blog post Vikernes wrote on July 13th commenting on the Bretigny train crash, which had taken place south of Paris the day before.

In the blog post entitled "Heros", Vikernes attacks "The 'French' president, the (sic) Jew Mr. Hollande", the media and "criminal non-European scum" making up "the gang of 'youths' standing nearby ready to rob the passengers when [the train derailed]."

The French Interior Minister Manuel Valls admitted that there was for now "no target, no identified project" in the Vikernes affair, but he justified the arrests by the necessity, in terrorism investigation, "to act before and not after."

The Interior Ministry stated on Tuesday that Vikernes "with close tie to the neo-nazi movement" was considered "likely to carry a large-scale terror act" and thus "constituted a potential menace". To justify the arrest, they also mentioned "violent speech intercepted on the web."

An official at the prosecutor's office said that the investigation was also prompted by several suspicions that made the services fear he could possibly carry out a violent act after he reportedly received a copy of the manifesto of Anders Breivik.

Stay tuned for more updates.

---

Original news, published on 16.07.2013: Varg Vikernes is in the news yet again and not for good reasons. Several French sources and also Euronews are reporting that Burzum's mastermind Varg Vikernes has been reportedly arrested in France and taken to custody in the Corrèze region this Tuesday. The police suspect the Norwegian to be plotting a "massacre" and are currently searching his house for weapons and explosives. His French wife and a member of a shooting club has allegedly recently purchased legally four rifles. Varg is being described as a "neo-nazi" and "Anders Breivik sympathizer".

The anti-terrorist prosecutor has been put in charge of the investigation. He could be held in custody for the next 96 hours, as is allowed under anti-terror laws.

Of course we all remember that Vikernes was convicted to 21 years in prison - the maximum sentence in Norway - for the murder of Øystein "Euronymous" Aarseth of black metallers Mayhem and for arson attacks on churches. He was freed in May 2009.

Vikernes is said to be one of the people to have received the manifesto of Anders Behring Breivik, the far-right terrorist responsible for the July 2011 Oslo bombing and Utoeya Massacre which left 77 dead. Breivik was sentenced to 21 years in jail for terrorism on August 2012.

However, The Quietus refers a post called War in Europe: Part V from late 2012, where Vikernes criticized Breivik's actions: "To Breivik I can only say I hope you do kill yourself.... you have made a big mistake."

He also writes: "As long as there are true Europeans alive they will continue to fail, and our European blood makes sure that we can at any time revive the true European spirit and turn Europe into our Elysium again. Today we are on the offensive. For the first time in many decades. The final solution to this problem is not to kill anyone, but to raise our children with European ideals and values, and a European world view, and make sure that Christianity dies out when our coward parent generation dies out."

Source:	euronews.com
Band profile:	Burzum