Copenhagen: Five arrested in terrorism misunderstanding
Update: The man is a 25 year old stateless Palestinian whose request to stay in Denmark was rejected. He will be deported. The two other men will be released shortly. (DA)
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The Danish police seem to be very jumpy. The climate summit started yesterday with a bomb scare.
Meanwhile, the Norwegians arrested two men: Arfan Bhatti, formerly suspected of terrorism and acquitted. His lawyer expects he will be freed once Obama leaves. The other person is a 31 year old Norwegian Pakistani linked to the Bahtti terrorism case. The Norwegian security service says both men were arrested for breaking the weapons law, but did not want to comment further. (NO)
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During the day the police kept things under wrap, but towards the evening they put out a press release saying that a police patrol stopped a Danish registered Mercedes at 10:58 on Sydhavnsgade.
The three men in the car all looked Arab, and the name of the men turned up on the police computer. It corresponded to the name of a 25 year old American citizen for whom there's an international arrest warrant for terrorism. All three men were arrested and brought to a temporary holding place in Retortvej in Valby.
The other two men in the car were the registered owner - a 35 year old Danish citizen born in Morocco - and a 27 year old stateless Palestinian without any fixed residence, reported the police.
The men's car was also brought to Retortvej, where it was searched by the army's explosives experts and police technicians.
At the same time, police raided two residences in Copenhagen, and arrested two women.
However, it all turned out to be a misunderstanding, says police spokesperson Lars Borg.
Lars Borg told politiken.dk that he can't say what caused the error. It can be that it started when the man told the agents his name, or when the agents radioed it in to headquarters. Since they thought it was the same name as the American terror suspect, they didn't take any chances.
Lars Borg emphasized that none of those arrested had anything to do with terrorism. A fingerprint check determined that this was not the wanted man, but all three men are still under arrest while the investigation is ongoing.
The police raided the two apartments in Copenhagen because the three men had their addresses with them. The two women living in those apartments were arrested, and were since released.
The police are still working on determining the identity of the male suspect and his connection to Denmark. Lars Borg says that it seems to be an issue for the Immigration Service, and they have no reason to suspect differently.
Source: Politiken (Danish), h/t Astute Bloggers
Update: The man is a 25 year old stateless Palestinian whose request to stay in Denmark was rejected. He will be deported. The two other men will be released shortly. (DA)
-----------
The Danish police seem to be very jumpy. The climate summit started yesterday with a bomb scare.
Meanwhile, the Norwegians arrested two men: Arfan Bhatti, formerly suspected of terrorism and acquitted. His lawyer expects he will be freed once Obama leaves. The other person is a 31 year old Norwegian Pakistani linked to the Bahtti terrorism case. The Norwegian security service says both men were arrested for breaking the weapons law, but did not want to comment further. (NO)
-----------
During the day the police kept things under wrap, but towards the evening they put out a press release saying that a police patrol stopped a Danish registered Mercedes at 10:58 on Sydhavnsgade.
The three men in the car all looked Arab, and the name of the men turned up on the police computer. It corresponded to the name of a 25 year old American citizen for whom there's an international arrest warrant for terrorism. All three men were arrested and brought to a temporary holding place in Retortvej in Valby.
The other two men in the car were the registered owner - a 35 year old Danish citizen born in Morocco - and a 27 year old stateless Palestinian without any fixed residence, reported the police.
The men's car was also brought to Retortvej, where it was searched by the army's explosives experts and police technicians.
At the same time, police raided two residences in Copenhagen, and arrested two women.
However, it all turned out to be a misunderstanding, says police spokesperson Lars Borg.
Lars Borg told politiken.dk that he can't say what caused the error. It can be that it started when the man told the agents his name, or when the agents radioed it in to headquarters. Since they thought it was the same name as the American terror suspect, they didn't take any chances.
Lars Borg emphasized that none of those arrested had anything to do with terrorism. A fingerprint check determined that this was not the wanted man, but all three men are still under arrest while the investigation is ongoing.
The police raided the two apartments in Copenhagen because the three men had their addresses with them. The two women living in those apartments were arrested, and were since released.
The police are still working on determining the identity of the male suspect and his connection to Denmark. Lars Borg says that it seems to be an issue for the Immigration Service, and they have no reason to suspect differently.
Source: Politiken (Danish), h/t Astute Bloggers
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