2010 Copenhagen terror plot

2010 Copenhagen terror plot
Location Copenhagen, Denmark
Date 29 December 2010
Target Jyllands-Posten, Copenhagen
Attack type
 "Mumbai-style"
Weapons machine guns
Deaths 0
Non-fatal injuries
 0
Suspected perpetrators
 5

The 2010 Copenhagen terror plot was a terrorist plot against Jyllands-Posten, the publisher of the controversial cartoons of Muhammad in 2005.[1]

Background

In December the most serious terror operation ever uncovered in Denmark before the 2015 Copenhagen shootings was thwarted by a successful cooperation between security services in Denmark and Sweden. Police, accompanied by bomb experts, conducted several raids and detained five men,[2] who are described as militant islamists.[3] Automatic weapons, together with ammunition and silencers, were seized by the police. Plastic strips to use as handcuffs were also found.

The terrorists alledegly plotted to conduct a "Mumbai-style" attack on Jyllands-Posten to revenge the 2005 publishing of the cartoons portraying Muhammad as a terrorist.[1][4]

Investigation

As suspects they had been under surveillance for an extended period of time and the arrests were the result of a long investigation.[5] The group travelled to Copenhagen 27 December 2010, Zalouti changed his mind the way to Denmark and returned to Järfälla. Police arrested the group 28 December 2010 in Copenhagen and Zalouti was arrested on the same day in Sweden.[6]

Convictions

The men are charged with attempted terrorism and unlawful possession of weapons (a machine gun with silencer, a pistol and more than 100 cartridges).[7][8] 4 June 2012 the four named above were convicted and sentenced to 12 years in prison.[9]

Munir Awad

Munir Awad, 29, Lebanese-born Swedish national. He received a sentence of 12 years in prison. He was silent during the proceedings of the lower instance (Danish: Byret), but told his version of events in the next instance (Danish: Landsret). The state prosecutor demanded a 14 year sentence, while a lay judge recommended a 10 year sentence. The judges and the other lay judges chose a sentence of 12 years.[10]

While in prison he attempted to contact others by connecting other participants to a phonecall with his wife, thereby attempting to communicate with people he was forbidden to contact. According to the Swedish Prison and Probation Service, Awad has a network of contacts among radicalized individuals. He was religiously active in the prison attempted to radicalize inmates.[1]

Others

  • Omar Abdalla Aboelazm, 30, Swedish-Egyptian origin who had a previous conviction for sexual assault.[11] While detained in Denmark he was suspected of planned new attacks as police found instructions to construct weaponry in his cell along with plans of public places.[12] After being transferred to Swedish prison, he received a number of warnings for refusing to work and disorderly conduct.[13]
  • Mounir Dhari, 44, Tunisian national. While incarcerated, Dhari attempted to radicalize his inmates. He was also noted for disorderly conduct by starting calls to prayer at high volume. He received several warnings for death threats against fellow inmates and prison staff. Among those were "I swear I shall kill you by Allah" to a fellow inmate along with "fucking homosexual" and "I am going to fuck you". [1]
  • Sahbi Zalouti, 37, Tunisian origin, Swedish national was arrested in Järfälla, Sweden.[14] Zalouti received several warnings by prison authorities for disorderly conduct, threats and violence and refusing to work. As a consequence he has at times been put in isolation.[1]
  • NN, 26, Iraqi - arrested in Greve, later released though suspicions remained.[15]

Munir Awad was previously arrested in Pakistan in 2009 on suspicions of terrorism, together with Mehdi Ghezali, a former Guantanamo-detainee. Notably, Munir Awad is the son-in-law of Helena Benaouda, head of the Muslim Council of Sweden.[16] This led some Swedish newspaper editors to question Benaouda's role as head of one of the country's largest Muslim organization.[17][18] The suspects' various ties to the Stockholm Grand Mosque also stirred up some media attention.[19][20]

Sahbi Zalouti has also been previously arrested in Pakistan in 2009 on suspicions of terrorism, roughly at the same time as Munir Awad though not together.

Reactions

  •  Sweden – Abd al Haqq Kielan, the imam at the Sabirin Mosque in Eskilstuna said in an interview that "These people do things that are explicitly forbidden in Islam. They make our religion to appear cruel and brutal." The imam also said that "the prophet is very clear on this: A muslim must not be unloyal to the country one lives in, much less the country that received you, given you a visa, residence permit and protection when one most need it."[21]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Terroristen försökte radikalisera sina medfångar – Doku.nu". doku.nu (in Swedish). Retrieved 2018-10-13.
  2. ↑ "Swedes arrested over 'Muhammad cartoon plot'". The Local. 29 December 2010. Retrieved 30 December 2010.
  3. ↑ Wienberg, Christian (29 December 2010). "Police Arrest `Militant Islamists' Planning Attack in Denmark". Bloomberg. Retrieved 30 December 2010.
  4. ↑ Walker, Peter (29 December 2010). "Denmark and Sweden arrest five over suspected 'Mumbai-style' terror plot". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 December 2010.
  5. ↑ "Five arrested for planning imminent attack". The Copenhagen Post. 29 December 2010. Retrieved 30 December 2010.
  6. ↑ "(se) Svenska terrorister döms till långa fängelsestraff". Expo.se. 5 June 2012. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
  7. ↑ Fraende, Mette (30 December 2010). "Three charged over plot to attack Danish newspaper". Reuters. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
  8. ↑ Chaaban, Sebastian (30 December 2010). "Häktningsförhandling i Köpenhamn". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 1 January 2011.
  9. ↑ da:Terrorsagen mod Jyllands-Posten i december 2010
  10. ↑ "12 års fængsel for terrorplaner mod JP/Politiken". Journalisten (in Danish). 2013-01-31. Retrieved 2018-10-13.
  11. ↑ Forsström, Anders; Svahn, Clas (30 December 2010). "Terroristhäktade tidigare dömda för vålds- och sexualbrott". Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). Retrieved 30 December 2010.
  12. ↑ "Anklager: Planlagde ny terror fra cellen" (in Danish). Retrieved 2018-10-13.
  13. ↑ "Terroristen försökte radikalisera sina medfångar – Doku.nu". doku.nu (in Swedish). Retrieved 2018-10-13.
  14. ↑ Delaryd, Charlotte; Chaaban, Sebastian (30 December 2010). "Munir Awad bodde med dömda terrorister". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 1 January 2011.
  15. ↑ Nielsen, Jasmina (30 December 2010). "Four Danish terror plot suspects remanded in custody". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
  16. ↑ Cantwell, Oisín (14 October 2009). "Min svärson torterades". Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 30 December 2010.
  17. ↑ Sluta blunda Archived 2011-01-03 at the Wayback Machine., editorial in Expressen 31 December 2010
  18. ↑ Krönika: Svärmodern som inget såg Archived 2011-01-11 at the Wayback Machine., Lars Kriss in Södermanlads Nyheter, January 4, 2011
  19. ↑ Hon har gjort sig oanträffbar
  20. ↑ "Delade lägenhet med terroristdömda". Archived from the original on 2011-10-01. Retrieved 2011-01-06.
  21. ↑ "Det är perverst att de kallar sig muslimer". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 1 January 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2011.

Coordinates: 55°43′09″N 12°28′16″E / 55.7193°N 12.4711°E / 55.7193; 12.4711

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