Erik Andersen Hylkje in Bergen, Norway ran his own garage, Erik Andersen Lakkeringsverksted. Andersen has been active in motor sports for several years, particularly as a trainer in Bergen Trial Team. He is divorced and has two children. Andersen sometimes spelled his name as Eric Andersen, despite the fact that his legal name is Erik Andersen. He was identified on the front cover of Verdens Gang, the largest newspaper of Norway, on 22 August 2009. He was also identified by Bergens Tidende the following day. Subsequently, he has been identified by Dagbladet, Nettavisen, TV 2, Dagsavisen, Bergensavisen and Aftenposten. Norwegian media had previously refrained from using his name and picture as requested by the police, in order not to harm the investigation. However, the investigation was completed in May 2009. Legally, the media are allowed to identify suspects in criminal cases. Bernt Olufsen stated that Verdens Gang chose to identify him because of the scale and seriousness of the crimes, which according to Olufsen meant the public had a right to know his identity.
