Danish court finds four guilty of terror plot

Four men were each jailed for 12 years yesterday for planning a shooting spree at the office of a Danish newspaper that published cartoons of the Prophet Mohamed.

The men were arrested in late December 2010 just hours before authorities said they planned to carry out a violent attack on the Jyllands-Posten's offices in Copenhagen. The Glostrup City Court handed down prison sentences to Mounir Ben Mohamed Dhahri, Munir Awad, Omar Abdalla Aboelazm, and Sabhi Ben Mohamed Zalouti.

The men, Swedish residents of North African and Middle Eastern origin, had been under surveillance by Swedish and Danish intelligence agencies. They denied terrorism charges during the trial. The four gave conflicting explanations about the purpose of their trip, which included New Year celebrations in the Danish capital.

AP