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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
provedifficult.
Thereare,however,individualsintheenvironmentwhohaveindispensabletalentsorresourcesand
whothereforeplaykeyroleswhenterrorismoccurs.Suchindividualsmaybeincontactwithmore
organisedpeersinconflictareasandthereforebeabletofacilitateengagementincombatortraining,
ortheymayhaveaccesstoandexperiencewithweapons,beskilledatfundraisingorarecharismaticand
particularlygoodatpropagandisinganddisseminatingjustificationsforusingviolence.
Thisarticlearguesthatthereispotentialinadoptingastrategyoftargetingsuchindividualsforlegal
prosecutionbutnotnecessarilyunderterrorismlegislation.Itarguesthatanapproachrelying
onpretextualprosecutionscouldbeeffectiveandpossiblyhavefewercounterproductivesideeffectsthan
prosecutionsunderterrorismlegislation.ThisisdonebyfirstdrawingapictureofthemilitantIslamist
environmentinDenmarkandsecondlysuggestingapathforimplementingsuchastrategy,introducing
thechallengesandpotentialpitfallsassociatedwithit.TointroducetheDanishsituation,alistofplots
thathaveledtoconvictionsunderDanishlegislationisinitiallyprovidedwithindicationsofhowtheywere
discovered.2
Plots
InOctober2005,severalindividualswerearrestedintheGreaterCopenhagenarea.InDenmark,the
casewaslabelledtheGlostrupcase,butelsewhereitisreferredtoastheSarajevocase,becausethe
DanisharrestsfollowedarrestsmadeinSarajevo.There,aSwedishcitizen,aTurkishcitizenwith
residenceinDenmarkandtwoBosniancitizenswerearrestedonsuspicionofplanningterrorism.Three
ofthemwerelaterconvictedofplanningterrorism,whilethefourthwasconvictedofillegaltradeinarms.
ThetwomenfromDenmarkandSwedenhadbeenincontactwithvariousindividualsinDenmark,and
ofthosearrestedinDenmarkinOctober2005,fourweresubsequentlychargedwithplanningterrorism
againstunspecifiedtargets.InFebruary2007,oneofthem,AbdulBasitAbu-Lifa,wasfoundguilty.
InSeptember2005,SaidMansour,whohadattractedtheauthorities’attentionsincethe1990s
becauseofhisinternationalcontactsandhispublishinghouse,Al-NurIslamicInformation,3wasarrested.
Amongotherthings,MansourwaslinkedtotheGlostrupcase,andthisconnectionplayedasignificant
roleinbothcases.InApril2007,hewasconvictedofencouragingotherstocommitterrorism.
InSeptember2006,severalindividualswerearrestedinOdense,inwhatbecameknownasthe
Vollsmosecase.Theauthoritieshadreceivedinformationfromaninformantturnedagentthatagroup
waspreparinganattackandhadmanufacturedtheexplosiveTATP.InNovember2007,Abdallah
Andersen,AhmedKhaldahiandMohammedZaherwerefoundguiltyofattemptedterrorismagainst
unspecifiedtargets.
InSeptember2007,severalindividualswerearrestedintheGreaterCopenhagenarea.InDenmark,the
casebecameknownastheGlasvejcasebutelsewhereitisreferredtoasOperationDagger.Danish
authoritieswerewarnedbyforeignauthoritieswhenHammadKhurshidreturnedfromPakistanafter
receivingtraininginspring2007.Khurshidwasputundersurveillanceandwasamongotherthingsfilmed
whilemanufacturingtheexplosiveTATP.InOctober2008,HammadKhurshidandAbdulghaniTokhiwere
foundguiltyofattemptedterrorismagainstunspecifiedtargets.Duringthetrialitemergedthatthe
accusedhadbeenincontactwithseveraloftheindividualsinvolvedintheGlostrupcase.4
On1January2010,MuhudiinMohamedGeelewasarrestedafterbreakingintothehomeofKurt
Westergaard,oneoftheDanishcartoonistsinvolvedinthecartooncrisis,armedwithanaxeandaknife.
InFebruary2011,hewasconvictedofattemptedterrorism.
InSeptember2010,LorsMagomedovitchDoukaev,aBelgiancitizen,wasarrestedafteraccidentally
detonatingaparcelcontainingTATPinahotelinCopenhagen.InMay2011,hewasconvicted
ofattemptedterrorismagainsttheDanishnewspaper
Jyllandsposten.
InDecember2010,agroupofSwedeswerearrestedinDenmarkandSwedenonsuspicionofplanning
anattackonthebuildinghousingthenewspapers
Jyllandsposten
and
Politiken
.InSweden,themenhad
beenundersurveillanceforsometimebecauseseveralofthemhadpreviouslybeenundersuspicion
ofplanningterrorism.WhenthreeofthemtravelledtoDenmarkcarryingweaponsandammunition,