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TERRORISM

Denmark charges three for planning terror plot

Danish prosecutors on Monday charged two men and one woman for acquiring guns and chemicals for explosives believed to be intended for a "terror attack".

Published: 21 June 2022 10:06 CEST
Three suspects will face trial on terror charges at Holbæk District Court
Three suspects will face trial on terror charges at Holbæk District Court. File photo: Signe Goldmann/Ritzau Scanpix

The three suspects, two men aged 34 and 36 and a woman aged 31, hailed from Zealand town Holbæk, according to Denmark’s Prosecution Service.

The trio were among 14 people arrested in Denmark and Germany in a February 2021 sting by Danish and German authorities, which they said foiled a potential Islamist attack.

“The three individuals had acquired several operational weapons and ammunition,” prosecutor Lise-Lotte Nilas said in a statement.

“In addition, they acquired chemicals and materials that enabled them to manufacture explosives that we believe would be used in a terror attack,” she added.

According to Danish media reports, the two men are brothers from Syria, while the woman, who is of Iraqi origin, is married to one of the men.

Prosecutors said they were not sure what the target of the plot was, only that they believed the explosives were intended to be used “at an unknown location in either Denmark or abroad.”

The three people — who were also charged with financing terror activities and aiding a person connected to the Islamic State group — were arrested on February 6th, 2021 and have been in custody since.

Prosecutors also called for the defendants, if convicted, to be deported and that the woman, who has dual citizenship, be stripped of her Danish citizenship.

The case will be tried at the Holbæk district court over 30 days, starting on August 24th, the prosecution service said.

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TERRORISM

Denmark’s terror threat ‘heightened’ by Israel-Hamas war and radicalisation risk

The terror threat in Denmark has worsened since the war between Hamas and Israel began in October last year due to an increased risk of radicalisation, according to an expert.

Published: 18 January 2024 10:56 CET
Denmark’s terror threat 'heightened' by Israel-Hamas war and radicalisation risk

In an interview with newspaper Berlingske, Michael Hamann, head of national intelligence service PET’s Centre for Terror Analysis (CTA) said the potential for radicalisation has grown during the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.

“We have not seen a situation with such a broad basis for mobilisation and such a great radicalisation potential for many years. The intensity and violent expedition of the current conflict alone has on its own the potential to radicalise,” Hamann told Berlingske.

The heightened terror threat is likely to be a factor in 2024, he said, with Israeli attacks on Gaza ongoing and costing tens of thousands of civilian lives.

Hamann also told the newspaper that Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7th was one of the “most drastic terrorist attacks since 9/11”.

The situation is concerning for Denmark, the analyst said, naming radicalisation a number of times during the interview.

READ ALSO: Why has Denmark not raised terror threat level like Sweden?

Another newspaper, Dagbladet Information, reports that CTA concluded in December that young people under the age of 18 were increasing becoming susceptible to radicalisation online.

Hamann said at the time that CTA was taking the issue serious and using resources on it.

He added that “the virtualisation of radicalisation – especially right-wing extremism – has caused us to see new groups in extremist circles which would not previously have been able to join these circles.”

READ ALSO: Danish police link suspected terror plan to Hamas

This new potential for online radicalisation could increase the terror threat against Denmark, he said.

The overall terror threat level in Denmark is, however, unchanged at level four out of five.

Hamann told Berlingske that the intensification of the terror threat after last summer’s Quran burnings, as well as the Israel-Hamas war, remains within level 4.

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