'Al-Qaeda link' as eight are held over Danish bomb plot (2nd Roundup)

Sep 4, 2007, 14:28 GMT

Danish police search material in front of the apartment in the North West area of Copenhagen where Danish police intelligence services (PET) arrested a taxi driver suspected of preparing an act of terrorism early morning of 04 September 2007 . EPA/LINDA HENRIKSEN

Copenhagen - Eight men were arrested Tuesday on suspicion of preparing a terrorist bombing, the head of the Danish security intelligence service (PET) said.

Jacob Scharf told reporters that the men were aged 19 to 29, adding that they were 'militant Islamists with international connections including to leading al-Qaeda members.'

Denmark has not raised its state of alert in the wake of the arrests.

Although they had foreign backgrounds, six were Danish nationals and two had residence permits, Scharf said.

The suspects were later reported to be from Somalia, Turkey, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Justice Minister Lene Espersen said in a statement that the alleged plans were 'very disturbing,' but noted that the security service had earlier said there were likely individuals in Denmark who had the will and means to commit terrorist acts.

A remand hearing was scheduled for two of the eight suspects late Tuesday. Scharf said PET wanted a closed door hearing.

Police raided 11 locations in and near Copenhagen overnight, Scharf said, adding that the suspects had been under surveillance for months.

Scharf said PET had cooperated with foreign intelligence services but declined to comment if arrests were pending in Denmark or other countries.

Security services in neighbouring Sweden and Norway declined comment.

The decision to make the arrests was based on the fact that PET had sufficient information but also due to the fact that the suspects had 'obtained material to make an 'unstable' explosive,' Scharf said, citing the risk the material posed to the suspects and neighbours.

The online edition of the Politiken newspaper reported that police had found traces of the explosive triacetone triperoxide (TATP).

Military bomb disposal experts were deployed in the operation.

Two similar operations have been conducted in recent years. In October 2005, seven people were arrested on suspicion of terrorism but only four were brought to trial.

Three were subsequently freed while a fourth suspect was sentenced in February this year to seven years in prison. Appeals were pending.

The case had ties with a case in Bosnia-Herzegovina where several suspects were sentenced for plotting terrorist attacks on Western diplomatic missions in the Balkan country.

Later this week, a trial was scheduled to open against four men arrested last year in Odense, some 130 kilometres west of the Danish capital on suspicion of bomb making.