Four Swedes living in Denmark will stand trial in April on charges of attempted terrorism for their plan to attack the staff at Jyllands-Posten newspaper in December 2010.
According to prosecutors, the four men were planning to walk into Jyllands-Posten’s office in Copenhagen and go on a shooting spree as a retribution for the 2005 Mohammed drawings. Prosecutor Svend Ulrik Larsen said the suspects aimed “to seriously frighten the population” and destablise the nation.
Danish and Swedish intelligence officials said they worked closely together to apprehend the suspects in December 2010. According to the Associated Press, intelligence officials tracked the men from Stockholm to the Copenhagen suburb of Herlev, where they gathered at an apartment to plan their attack. The four male suspects — ranging in age from 31 to 46 — will also be charged with possession of illegal weapons.
The suspects were all previously known to the Swedish intelligence agency SÄPO and were described as militant Islamists with established relations to international terror networks.
A verdict is expected in the case by June 14.
Jyllands-Posten has been the frequent target of terror attempts since it published 12 cartoon drawings of the prophet Mohammed in 2005. On January 31, two Norwegians were convicted in Oslo for their plans to attack the newspaper. Norway’s security agency PST intercepted them before they could carry out their plan.
Danish intelligence agency PET released a report in late January that said Denmark remains a “prioritised terrorist target.”
