The man behind Norway's massacre described the former Australian prime minister John Howard as ''one of the most sensible leaders in the Western world,'' according to an online version of his 1500-page manifesto.

The unverified document, published on various websites, shows Anders Behring Breivik may have paid attention to issues in Australia. As well as mentioning Mr Howard, he also refers to Sydney's Archbishop, Cardinal George Pell, and points to a comment by the Catholic leader where he describes September 11 as his personal wake-up call.

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Mr Breivik apparently writes of Mr Howard: ''Luckily, not all Christian leaders are appeasers of Islam. One of the intelligent ones comes from Australia, a country that has been fairly resistant to Political Correctness. They have taken serious steps towards actually enforcing their own borders, despite the predictable outcries from various NGOs and anti-racists, and Prime Minister John Howard has repeatedly proven to be one of the most sensible leaders in the Western world.''

The Herald was unable to confirm the veracity of the document early today.