Local News in Brief: Syrians on trial for alleged terror offences

In other stories, Copenhagen may get yet another stretch of motorway, more men in the municipality are taking paternity leave and public transport consolidation plans are afoot

Stephen Gadd

Copenhagen’s City Court sees the opening today of the trial of two Syrians, one living in Germany and one in Sweden, along with an unknown and unidentified co-conspirator. The defendants are charged with attempting to carry out a terrorist attack in Denmark, reports TV2 Nyheder.

Incriminating rucksack
The investigation began when police apprehended a then 21-year-old Syrian in the German town of Puttgarden on his way to Rødby in Denmark with a rucksack containing 17,000 matches, fireworks, knives, walkie-talkies and batteries.

Sentenced to six and a half years in prison at his trial in Germany in 2017, the defendant admitted that he was intending to carry out a bombing attack in Denmark in order to kill as many people as possible.

He also admitted to having two contacts, of whom one had a Swedish telephone number. Barely five months after being sentenced the Syrian was arrested again – this time in Denmark.

A Jihadist dimension
In December 2017, the second Syrian, who was previously convicted of firebombing a shiite culture centre in Sweden, was arrested on suspicion of planning to carry out random attacks in Copenhagen with knives and other weapons. The police found evidence of Jihadist activity on the man’s computer.

He is now on trial under the Danish terrorism paragraph that can result in life imprisonment if he is convicted. The verdict is expected on March 5.

Possible new motorway for Copenhagen
The government along with the municipalities of Høje Taastrup, Ishøj, Ballerup, Køge and Vallensbæk is taking the first steps towards building a new motorway encircling the capital region, reports DR Nyheder. However, drivers shouldn’t get their hopes up too soon. The preliminary investigation is expected to take two years, and if that looks promising a further assessment of the environment impact will be necessary before the final decision on whether to go ahead with the project is taken. An estimated 200,000 more citizens will be living in the capital region by 2030.

Increasing numbers taking paternity leave
In just five years, the number of fathers working for Copenhagen Municipality taking paternity leave for at least 14 weeks has tripled. According to the latest figures, 26 percent of fathers took between 8 and 13 weeks’ leave, and another 36 percent took at least 14 weeks’ leave. This is a marked increase from 2013, when only 21 percent took between 8 and 13 weeks and 11 percent at least 14 weeks. Over the last year, the municipality has made the area a special focus, training management to better advise their subordinates about the possibilities. Today, fathers employed by Copenhagen Municipality have the right to seven weeks paternity leave with full pay – in addition to the statutory two weeks earmarked shortly after the child’s birth.

Public transport under one umbrella
As part of the government initiative to do away with Denmark’s regions, the transport minister, Ole Birk Olesen, plans to consolidate the capital region’s different transport companies – Metroselskabet, Movia and others – under one roof. The new company would be called HOT (Hovedstadens Offentlige Trafik) and be responsible for all planning, purchasing and passenger activity, reports Politiken. HOT will be a co-operation between the state and capital region’s 34 municipalities, with seven seats on the board for the municipalities and four for the state.

Skeleton found in Frederiksberg attic
At the end of last summer, workmen renovating the roof of a building in Frederiksberg made a macabre discovery: a child’s skeleton in a cardboard box hidden in the space between the attic and the bottom of the roof. However, this was no recent crime. Pathologists from Aarhus University have determined that the dead child was between 39 and 40 weeks old and probably born between 1938 and 1954, reports Politiken. It has not been possible to find out who the child belonged to or who put the body in the attic space. Police have also been unable to determine the cause of death. “We’ve not been able to prove whether the child died as a result of an act of violence, sickness or during birth,” explained a senior police prosecutor. The case has since been dropped due to a lack of evidence.

Taxi drivers protest against new law
Yesterday morning from 08:00-10:00 saw around 100 taxis drive in a cortege around Copenhagen’s inner city to protest against the new taxi law that came into force on January 1 this year. The drivers claim that the new law will make it impossible to make ends meet, reports DR Nyheder. The new law will gradually allow more people to be licensed to drive taxis, and in 2020 there will be no limit on the number of licences issued. “There are too many taxis on the roads. Rebates are being given out all over the place. It’s threatening our jobs and the entire branch,” said Jasin Amiti, one of the demonstrators.

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