Recent events
In October 2003, Vikernes failed to return to his low-security prison in Tønsberg, Norway, after having been granted a short leave. Vikernes was apprehended by police after hijacking a car. He was found with an unloaded AG-3 assault rifle, 700 rounds of ammunition, a number of smaller weapons, a handheld GPS system, communications systems, a PC, military uniforms, a bullet proof vest, and camouflage clothes . He received an additional sentence of 14 months for the incident – somewhat less than the 22 months wanted at the trial – and has been moved to a maximum-security prison in Trondheim. Varg stated in a recent interview that he should, under Norwegian law, be released in mid-2006 on probation, though he is not very optimistic.
Other incidents with connections to Varg Vikernes' activities:
19-year-old Novak Majstorovic, guitarist of a chaos metal band called "Schwarzreich", committed arson by burning down a 106-year-old United Church in Ascot Vale, Australia in August 2004. In all media depictions of the event he is said to have been heavily influenced by Burzum. However, he has stated on several message boards across the internet that the influence doesn't stretch beyond the superficial, and that the media has overblown his statements to the police to suit their own ends. He claims that the arson had very little in common with Vikernes' attacks. He states that his attack was a symbolic piece of propaganda that represented his quasi-anarchistic ideology. Majstorovic is slated for release in late October 2006
When police searched the homes of three girls accused of killing 61-year-old nun Maria Laura, whose birth name was Teresina Mainetti, in Chiavenna, Italy, they found a large number of black metal records. Among the records was also Burzum according to several newspapers and the case is generally attributed to Satanism.
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