Friday, April 27, 2012

Denmark arrests three Muslims suspected of planning a "Mumbai-style" attack

Danish police enter an appartment complex in Herlev, in the outskirts of Copenhagen, Denmark, for a search Friday, April 27, 2012. Three men have been arrested in the Danish capital on suspicion of plotting a terror act after police found them in possession of automatic firearms and ammunition, Denmark's intelligence service said Friday. (AP Photo)
COPENHAGEN, April 27 (Reuters) - Denmark's state security police arrested on Friday three men suspected of planning attacks, and were carrying out further searches in the Copenhagen area, police officials said.

The arrests were made two weeks after the start of a trial of four men accused of planning a "Mumbai-style" attack on the offices of a Danish newspaper whose publication of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad in 2005 outraged many Muslims.

The Danish Security and Intelligence Service (PET) said in a statement it had arrested a 22-year-old Jordanian citizen, a 23-year-old Turkish citizen, both resident in Denmark, and a 21-year-old Danish citizen resident in Egypt.

"The detainees are so far charged with illegal possession of automatic weapons and related ammunition, but are also suspected of having been in the process of preparing an act of terror," PET said in a statement.

The men were arrested at two addresses in the Copenhagen area and a PET spokeswoman said they were expected to be brought before a court on Friday or Saturday.

She declined to give further details.

The PET and Copenhagen police would cooperate in the further investigation to ensure any potential terrorism threat had been eliminated, the PET said.