December 2010 Copenhagen terror plot

December 2010 Copenhagen terror plot
Location	Copenhagen, Denmark
Date	29 December 2010
Target	Jyllands-Posten, Copenhagen
Attack type	"Mumbai-style"
Weapon(s)	machine guns
Death(s)	0
Injured	0
Perpetrator(s)	5
Suspected perpetrator(s)	islamic

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

Background

In December the most serious terror operation ever uncovered in Denmark 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,^[1] who are described as militant islamists.^[2] 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 the prophet Muhammad as a terrorist.

Detailed information has been withheld due to the on-going nature of the investigation.^[3]

Suspects

The five suspects, between 26 and 44 years old, were of Tunisian, Lebanese and Iraqi origins. Four of them are Swedish citizens, the fifth was an Iraqi seeking asylum in Denmark.^[4]

Detainees:

• Munir Awad, 29, Lebanese-born Swedish national
• Omar Abdalla Aboelazm, 30, Swedish-Egyptian Origin
• Mounir Dhari, 44, Tunisian national
• Sahbi Zalouti, 37, Tunisian origin, Swedish national was arrested in Järfälla, Sweden.^[5]
• NN, 26, Iraqi - arrested in Greve, later released though suspicions remained.^[6]

Munir Awad was previously been 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, the head of the Swedish Federation of Muslims (Sveriges Muslimska Råd).^[7] This led some Swedish newspaper editors to question Benaouda's role as head of one of the country's largest Muslim organization.^[8][9] The suspects' various ties to the Stockholm Grand Mosque also stirred up some media attention.^[10][11]

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.

Investigation

The suspects had been under surveillance for an extended period of time and the arrests were the result of a long investigation.^[12]

Charges

The men are charged with attempted terrorism and unlawful possession of weapons (a machine gun with silencer, a pistol and more than 100 cartridges).^[13][14]

Possible targets

The terrorist attack was possibly a response to the 2005-2006 Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy.^[15]

Reactions

Sweden

Abd al Haqq Kielan, 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."^[16]

See also

	Denmark portal
	Islam portal
	Terrorism portal

• Glostrup Terrorists Case
• Vollsmose terrorists
• Mohamad Al-Khaled Samha
• German Terror Plot 9/07
• 2010 Stockholm bombings
• 2011 Oslo attacks

References

1. ^ "Swedes arrested over 'Muhammad cartoon plot'". The Local. 29 December 2010. http://www.thelocal.se/31144/20101229/. Retrieved 30 December 2010. 
2. ^ Wienberg, Christian (29 December 2010). "Police Arrest `Militant Islamists' Planning Attack in Denmark". Bloomberg. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-12-29/five-people-arrested-in-denmark-sweden-under-suspicion-of-terrorist-plot.html. Retrieved 30 December 2010. 
3. ^ Walker, Peter (29 December 2010). "Denmark and Sweden arrest five over suspected 'Mumbai-style' terror plot". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/29/denmark-arrests-terror-plot. Retrieved 30 December 2010. 
4. ^ Sundell, Camilla; Munck, Anders; Levin, David (30 December 2010). "Misstänks för terrorbrott – igen" (in Swedish). Aftonbladet. http://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/article8348545.ab. Retrieved 30 December 2010. 
5. ^ Chaaban, Sebastian (30 December 2010). "Munir Awad bodde med dömda terrorister" (in Swedish). Svenska Dagbladet. http://www.svd.se/nyheter/inrikes/munir-awad-bodde-med-domda-terrorister_5838233.svd. Retrieved 1 January 2011. 
6. ^ Nielsen, Jasmina (30 December 2010). "Four Danish terror plot suspects remanded in custody". The Sydney Morning Herald. http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/four-danish-terror-plot-suspects-remanded-in-custody-20101230-19awt.html. Retrieved 1 January 2011. 
7. ^ Cantwell, Oisín (14 October 2009). "”Min svärson torterades”" (in Swedish). Aftonbladet. http://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/article5959502.ab. Retrieved 30 December 2010. 
8. ^ Sluta blunda, editorial in Expressen 31 December 2010
9. ^ Krönika: Svärmodern som inget såg, Lars Kriss in Södermanlads Nyheter, January 4, 2011
10. ^ Hon har gjort sig oanträffbar
11. ^ Delade lägenhet med terroristdömda
12. ^ "Five arrested for planning imminent attack". The Copenhagen Post. 29 December 2010. http://www.cphpost.dk/news/crime/50741-five-arrested-for-planning-imminent-attack.html. Retrieved 30 December 2010. 
13. ^ Fraende, Mette (30 December 2010). "Three charged over plot to attack Danish newspaper". Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6BT1QV20101230. Retrieved 1 January 2011. 
14. ^ Chaaban, Sebastian (30 December 2010). "Häktningsförhandling i Köpenhamn" (in Swedish). Svenska Dagbladet. http://www.svd.se/nyheter/utrikes/haktningsforhandling-i-kopenhamn_5837431.svd. Retrieved 1 January 2011. 
15. ^ Håkansson, Catarina (29 December 2010). "Personalen är uppskrämd" (in Swedish). Svenska Dagbladet. http://www.svd.se/nyheter/inrikes/personalen-ar-uppskramd_5836723.svd. Retrieved 1 January 2011. 
16. ^ "”Det är perverst att de kallar sig muslimer”" (in Swedish). Svenska Dagbladet. 1 January 2011. http://www.dn.se/nyheter/sverige/kand-imam-de-har-inget-att-gora-med-islam. Retrieved 1 January 2011.