Anders Behring Breivik, who confessed to killing 77 people and injuring 151 in Norway, has been formally charged with committing acts of terror and and voluntary homicide, according to a 19-page indictment presented by prosecutors.

The charges carry a penalty of up to 21 years in prison, though the incarceration can be extended for as long as he is considered a danger to society.

Defence lawyers went to his prison near the capital, Oslo, to present their client with the charges, reports the BBC.

Breivik is expected to go on trial on 16 April.

He has been charged under a paragraph in Norway's anti-terror law that refers to violent acts intended to disrupt key government functions or spread fears in the population.