Six and a half months after the initial arrests, the Crown Attorney's office decided Tuesday to level charges against three of the nine men collared in September for planning terror actions, reports Berlingske Tidende newspaper.
Two of the men are being charged with making and testing bombs which, according to national intelligence agency PET, were trials for a
future terror attack. The third man will be charged with inciting extremist Muslims to kidnap Danes travelling or living abroad.
The three men are of Pakistani, Afghan and Turkish origin. PET's director, Jakob Scharf, said the first two men are militant Islamists 'with direct links to leading Al-Qaeda members'.
Although the formal charges were initiated by the Justice Ministry, the Crown Attorney's office gave the final go ahead after several months of co-operation with PET. The probe revealed that the Pakistani man had been on paramilitary training courses in Pakistan or Afghanistan. In addition, he and the Afghan suspect had been filmed in an apartment creating the explosive substance Triacetone Triperoxide (TATP).
According to PET, the man of Turkish descent used the internet to encourage the kidnapping of Danes abroad, suggesting they be held as hostages to force the release of the two other suspects.
All three men have been in custody since the September arrests. According to the Crown Attorney, the six other suspects who were arrested and released may still face charges if any additional incriminating information against them is found during the ongoing investigations.
Also on Tuesday, three suspects in another terror trial, the Vollmose case, are scheduled to appear before the Supreme Court, where their High Court sentences will be reviewed. One suspect in that case was cleared of all charges, while the other two were sentenced to 26 years in prison, with one facing expulsion from Denmark
Source: The Copenhagen Post (English)
See also: Copenhagen: Terror arrests, Denmark: Connections between recent terror plots
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