Iraq: Dutch, Danish teams targets in World Cup plot

Iraq: Dutch, Danish teams targets in World Cup plot

Abdullah Azam Saleh al-Qahtani Mr Qahtani was arrested on 3 May after a note about the plot was found

An alleged al-Qaeda militant detained in Iraq has given details about a plan he had to attack the World Cup in South Africa next month.

The Saudi man, Abdullah Azam Saleh al-Qahtani, told reporters he had suggested an attack on the Dutch and Danish teams in revenge for cartoons drawn of the Prophet Muhammad.

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"We discussed the possibility of taking revenge for the insults of the prophet by attacking Denmark and Holland," Mr Qahtani told the Associated Press.

"If we were not able to reach the teams, then we would target the fans."

The plan would have included car bombs and gun attacks.

The plan had not been approved, but had been awaiting the green light from al-Qaeda's number two man, Ayman al-Zawahiri, Mr Qahtani said.

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This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog - islamineurope.blogspot.com


The Dutch National Coordinator for Counterterrorism (NCTb) says it takes the threats seriously, though it does not plan on announcing new security measures. An NCTb spokesperson said that the organization already concluded that Dutch abroad were more at risk from terrorists than in the Netherlands.

The head of the Danish security service PET, Jakob Scharf, didn't want to comment on specific threats against Denmark, but said the massive media attention could make the World Cup an attractive target for Islamic militants. He also said that there's a general terrorism threat against Denmark, and that militant extremist groups see Denmark as a terrorism target.

Sources: BBC (English), Trouw (Dutch), Kristeligt-Dagblad (Danish)