December 2010 Copenhagen terror plot
Encyclopedia
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.
Police, accompanied by bomb experts, conducted several raids and detained five men, who are described as militant
islamists. 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.
Detainees:
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). This led some Swedish newspaper editors to question Benaouda's role as head of one of the country's largest Muslim organization. The suspects' various ties to the Stockholm Grand Mosque
also stirred up some media attention.
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.
.
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."
Jyllands-Posten
Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten , commonly shortened to Jyllands-Posten or JP, is a Danish daily broadsheet newspaper. It is based in Viby, a suburb of Århus, and with a weekday circulation of approximately 120,000 copies, it is among the largest-selling newspaper in Denmark...
, the controversial publisher of the cartoons
Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy
The Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy began after 12 editorial cartoons, most of which depicted the Islamic prophet Muhammad, were published in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten on 30 September 2005...
of the prophet Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
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, who are described as militant
Militant
The word militant, which is both an adjective and a noun, usually is used to mean vigorously active, combative and aggressive, especially in support of a cause, as in 'militant reformers'. It comes from the 15th century Latin "militare" meaning "to serve as a soldier"...
islamists. 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.
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.Detainees:
- Munir AwadMunir AwadMunir Awad is a Lebanon-born citizen of Sweden who has fallen under suspicion of an association with terrorism.Munir Awad, and his fiancee, Safia Benaouda , were captured when Kenya forces, with United States support, invaded Somalia.The pair describe being held in extrajudicial detention...
, 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.
- NN, 26, Iraqi - arrested in Greve, later released though suspicions remained.
Munir Awad
Munir Awad
Munir Awad is a Lebanon-born citizen of Sweden who has fallen under suspicion of an association with terrorism.Munir Awad, and his fiancee, Safia Benaouda , were captured when Kenya forces, with United States support, invaded Somalia.The pair describe being held in extrajudicial detention...
was previously been arrested in Pakistan in 2009 on suspicions of terrorism, together with Mehdi Ghezali
Mehdi Ghezali
Mehdi Muhammed Ghezali , in media previously known as the Cuba-Swede , is a Swedish citizen of Algerian and Finnish descent who was held as what the United States termed an unlawful combatant at the Guantanamo Bay detainment camp on Cuba between January 2002 and July 2004...
, a former Guantanamo
Guantánamo
Guantánamo is a municipality and city in southeast Cuba and capital of Guantánamo Province.Guantánamo is served by the Caimanera port and the site of a famous U.S. Naval base. The area produces sugarcane and cotton wool...
-detainee. Notably, Munir Awad is the son-in-law of Helena Benaouda, the head of the Swedish Federation of Muslims (Sveriges Muslimska Råd). This led some Swedish newspaper editors to question Benaouda's role as head of one of the country's largest Muslim organization. The suspects' various ties to the Stockholm Grand Mosque
Stockholm Mosque
Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan's Mosque , commonly known as the Stockholm Mosque or the Stockholm Grand Mosque , is the largest mosque in Stockholm, Sweden. It is located at Kapellgränd 10, adjacent to the small park Björns trädgård, in the Södermalm district of Stockholm...
also stirred up some media attention.
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.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).Possible targets
The terrorist attack was possibly a response to the 2005-2006 Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversyJyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy
The Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy began after 12 editorial cartoons, most of which depicted the Islamic prophet Muhammad, were published in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten on 30 September 2005...
.
Reactions
SwedenAbd al Haqq Kielan
Abd al Haqq Kielan
Abd al Haqq Kielan is a Swedish Muslim cleric. He is an Imam at the mosque in Eskilstuna and at the Islamic Association in Stockholm. He is also chairman of the Swedish Islamic Society and permanent secretary of the Swedish Islamic Academy....
, imam at the Sabirin Mosque in Eskilstuna
Eskilstuna
Eskilstuna is a city and the seat of Eskilstuna Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden with 60,185 inhabitants in 2005. Eskilstuna has a large Sweden Finn population....
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."
See also
- Glostrup Terrorists CaseGlostrup Terrorists CaseOn October 27th, 2005 Danish police arrested four people in Glostrup on charges of terrorism, in connection to the arrests in Bosnia of Abdulkadir Cesur and Mirsad Bektasevic . All four had been under surveillance for a while.-Suspects:...
- Vollsmose terroristsVollsmose terroristsThe Vollsmose terrorists are nine people arrested on charges of terrorism by the Danish police in the Vollsmose neighbourhood of Odense on September 5, 2006...
- Mohamad Al-Khaled SamhaMohamad Al-Khaled SamhaMohamad Al-Khaled is a Danish imam.Al-Khaled started an Islamic information and advice center in Vollsmose, Odense.Al-Khaled worked together with Christian priests to put up a display on religions in the municipality building...
- German Terror Plot 9/07
- 2010 Stockholm bombings2010 Stockholm bombingsThe 2010 Stockholm bombings occurred on 11 December 2010 when two bombs exploded in central Stockholm, Sweden, killing the bomber and injuring two people. Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs Carl Bildt and the Swedish Security Service described the bombings as acts of terrorism.Taimour Abdulwahab...
- 2011 Oslo attacks