Senior prosecutor Sonja Hedegaard from Copenhagen Police is asking for six months behind bars and a travel ban for the two Greek businessmen who on November 18 made what they said was a joke about a bomb in a suitcase at Copenhagen Airport.
The lawyer said that the two men, aged 33 and 65, caused serious fear and a threat to the life, heath and welfare of the passengers at the airport.
Taken seriously
The airport was evacuated and closed down to traffic for more than two hours because the men had joked there was a bomb in aperson’s suitcase and that he was in fact one of the wanted terrorists from the deadly terrorist attacks in Paris a few days before.
“Taking everything into account, there is no question that laws were violated by the statements made,” argued the prosecutor. “These are adult and educated people and there is no doubt that the SAS employee felt the situation was very serious.”
Hedegaard said that the police and airport security could not take any chances and had to investigate the ‘joke’ as if it was serious.
“The defendants are too old for this,” she said.
A stupid remark
Hedegaard wants both men sentenced to six months in prison and to be banned from traveling to Denmark for at least six years.
Both of the accused pleaded not guilty. One of their lawyers, Mikael Bernhoft, stressed there was no premeditation, rather a stupid and thoughtless remark made in a failed attempt to be funny.
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A judgement in the case is expected later today.
