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ANN-SOPHIEHEMMINGSEN
MakingaCaseforGoingtoCourt:MilitantIslamism
inDenmark
MilitantIslamisminDenmarkis,likeinmostWesterncountries,afluidandunorganisedphenomenon
thatisnoteasilydefinedordelimited.Therearenoorganisations,spokespersonsordeclaredleadersand
nomembership.Thephenomenoncanbestbedescribedasanenvironment
from
whichsmallergroups
thathaveengagedinterrorismorterrorism-relatedactivitieshaveemergedbut
to
whichdifferent
individualsareattractedfordifferentreasons.1Adoptingastrategyoftargetingleadersinoneway
oranotherinordertopreventorcounter-terrorismemanatingfromtheenvironmentwouldtherefore
pro​vedif​fi​cult.
Thereare,however,individualsintheenvironmentwhohaveindispensabletalentsorresourcesand
whothereforeplaykeyroleswhenterrorismoccurs.Suchindividualsmaybeincontactwithmore
organisedpeersinconflictareasandthereforebeabletofacilitateengagementincombatortraining,
ortheymayhaveaccesstoandexperiencewithweapons,beskilledatfundraisingorarecharismaticand
par​ti​cu​lar​lygoodatpro​pa​gan​di​singanddis​se​mi​na​tingju​sti​fi​ca​tionsforusingvio​len​ce.
Thisarticlearguesthatthereispotentialinadoptingastrategyoftargetingsuchindividualsforlegal
prosecutionbutnotnecessarilyunderterrorismlegislation.Itarguesthatanapproachrelying
onpretextualprosecutionscouldbeeffectiveandpossiblyhavefewercounterproductivesideeffectsthan
prosecutionsunderterrorismlegislation.ThisisdonebyfirstdrawingapictureofthemilitantIslamist
environmentinDenmarkandsecondlysuggestingapathforimplementingsuchastrategy,introducing
thechallengesandpotentialpitfallsassociatedwithit.TointroducetheDanishsituation,alistofplots
thathaveledtoconvictionsunderDanishlegislationisinitiallyprovidedwithindicationsofhowtheywere
di​sco​ve​red.2
Plots
InOctober2005,severalindividualswerearrestedintheGreaterCopenhagenarea.InDenmark,the
casewaslabelledtheGlostrupcase,butelsewhereitisreferredtoastheSarajevocase,becausethe
DanisharrestsfollowedarrestsmadeinSarajevo.There,aSwedishcitizen,aTurkishcitizenwith
residenceinDenmarkandtwoBosniancitizenswerearrestedonsuspicionofplanningterrorism.Three
ofthemwerelaterconvictedofplanningterrorism,whilethefourthwasconvictedofillegaltradeinarms.
ThetwomenfromDenmarkandSwedenhadbeenincontactwithvariousindividualsinDenmark,and
ofthosearrestedinDenmarkinOctober2005,fourweresubsequentlychargedwithplanningterrorism
aga​instunspe​ci​fiedtar​gets.InFe​bru​ary2007,oneofthem,Ab​dulBa​sitAbu-Lifa,wasfo​undgu​il​ty.
InSeptember2005,SaidMansour,whohadattractedtheauthorities’attentionsincethe1990s
becauseofhisinternationalcontactsandhispublishinghouse,Al-NurIslamicInformation,3wasarrested.
Amongotherthings,MansourwaslinkedtotheGlostrupcase,andthisconnectionplayedasignificant
roleinbothca​ses.InApril2007,hewasco​nvic​tedofen​co​ura​gingotherstocom​mitter​ro​rism.
InSeptember2006,severalindividualswerearrestedinOdense,inwhatbecameknownasthe
Vollsmosecase.Theauthoritieshadreceivedinformationfromaninformantturnedagentthatagroup
waspreparinganattackandhadmanufacturedtheexplosiveTATP.InNovember2007,Abdallah
Andersen,AhmedKhaldahiandMohammedZaherwerefoundguiltyofattemptedterrorismagainst
unspe​ci​fiedtar​gets.
InSeptember2007,severalindividualswerearrestedintheGreaterCopenhagenarea.InDenmark,the
casebecameknownastheGlasvejcasebutelsewhereitisreferredtoasOperationDagger.Danish
authoritieswerewarnedbyforeignauthoritieswhenHammadKhurshidreturnedfromPakistanafter
receivingtraininginspring2007.Khurshidwasputundersurveillanceandwasamongotherthingsfilmed
whilemanufacturingtheexplosiveTATP.InOctober2008,HammadKhurshidandAbdulghaniTokhiwere
foundguiltyofattemptedterrorismagainstunspecifiedtargets.Duringthetrialitemergedthatthe
ac​cu​sedhadbeenincon​tactwithse​ve​ralofthein​di​vi​du​alsin​vo​lvedintheGlo​strupcase.4
On1January2010,MuhudiinMohamedGeelewasarrestedafterbreakingintothehomeofKurt
Westergaard,oneoftheDanishcartoonistsinvolvedinthecartooncrisis,armedwithanaxeandaknife.
InFe​bru​ary2011,hewasco​nvic​tedofat​temp​tedter​ro​rism.
InSeptember2010,LorsMagomedovitchDoukaev,aBelgiancitizen,wasarrestedafteraccidentally
detonatingaparcelcontainingTATPinahotelinCopenhagen.InMay2011,hewasconvicted
ofat​temp​tedter​ro​rismaga​insttheDa​nishnew​spa​per
Jyl​land​spo​sten.
InDecember2010,agroupofSwedeswerearrestedinDenmarkandSwedenonsuspicionofplanning
anattackonthebuildinghousingthenewspapers
Jyl​land​spo​sten
and
Po​li​ti​ken
.InSweden,themenhad
beenundersurveillanceforsometimebecauseseveralofthemhadpreviouslybeenundersuspicion
ofplanningterrorism.WhenthreeofthemtravelledtoDenmarkcarryingweaponsandammunition,