New Superintendent Worries About Oslo Relatives

Beverly Hills Unified School District Superintendent recently moved to the city and should have spent the past weekend getting settled in his new home.

Instead, he and his mother worried about relatives in Norway. At least eight people died when a car bomb went off in the nation's capital of Oslo on July 22. Shortly thereafter, at least 68 people were gunned down at a summer youth camp on Norway’s Utoya Island—some 20 miles from Oslo. Initial news reports have said the death toll could be higher as rescuers continue the search for missing victims.

"My mother was on the phone all day [over the weekend] trying to reach our relatives in Oslo," Woods told Patch on Monday.

Woods said it appeared that all of his extended family is safe. His maternal grandparents were born in Norway. He didn’t say how many relatives still live in the Norwegian capital.

Having been to Oslo several times, Woods said he can imagine how shocked the residents are by the bombing and subsequent shooting. Anders Behring Breivik, a 32-year-old Norwegian, has been arrested in connection with the attacks.

"Oslo is a conservative place," Woods said. "No one would expect this to happen."

Breivik posted a 1,500-page manifesto online calling for a civil war against multiculturalism and Muslims. In the document, Breivik wrote about his sister who "lives in Los Angeles and has chosen a life where … the acquisition of wealth is the driving force in her life."

Media reports have identified Breivik's sister as Elizabeth Breivik of Century City. Law enforcement officials visited her home Sunday evening, according to CBS News. Some reports have identified her as a stepsister.

This story was compiled with information from City News Service.

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