News from Denmark.

[Ariel]

As tourists flock to Tivoli and the Little Mermaid, a band of organised criminals follows and attempts to either trick, or outright steal, money and valuables from Copenhagen's guests. Blessed are the open borders.

The height of tourist season is prime time for pickpocketing in Copenhagen.

Over the past several years, the Danish capital has seen a sharp increase in pickpocketing and other theft.

According to the Copenhagen Police, the number of reported thefts rose from 20,525 in 2010 to 29,724 in 2013. And although police say that 2014 numbers are down by 14 percent from last year, pickpocketing is still a major problem.

“Those figures are way too high and we will not accept it,” inspector Jan Bjørn told Berlingske. “But we can’t control the influx of the masterminds, so it is a very very difficult battle.”

Copenhagen Police created a special unit last year to battle the growing pickpocketing problem, which they say stems from organized criminals from eastern Europe and Africa.

The police said that a foreigner was charged in nine out of every ten pickpocketing citations filed in 2013.

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[pert]

Denmark: Muslims are around 4.5 times more criminal than non-Muslims

[pert]

Islamic State establishes Danish branch

[Fernando]

Halal meat in schools and hospitals in Denmark - ans everywhere else. It's claimed that most halal meat is stunned before slaughter so all that's left is the praying. There is no established religious chief in Islam ( except perhaps the self-styled Caliph in the hell-hole of all hell holes) so presumably any Muslim can do the praying. Sp one person at the supermarket checkout, one person serving in the canteen, or even the person about to eat the meal could do the praying. Hell, Christians have been saying grace since long before Mo had his seizures - what's the difference?

[pert]

Christians harrassed and assaulted in Denmark:

[pert]

Denmark: Muslim gangs so overloading police that they no longer investigate thefts of less than $17,000

[pert]

Denmark: Soldiers advised not to wear uniform in public, beheaders “are here in our community”

Several Danish soldiers have decided to not wear their uniforms publicly after Denmark has become an active part of the war on the terror organization IS.

“I will not say I’m worried. But I think about it. I try as much as possible to avoid wearing a uniform when I go home,” says Nichlas, a constable in the Danish Defense …

“Because of the terror risk, there is no need to advertise that you are a soldier. My family should not feel threatened at any time,” says Jimmy, who is leading a section in the Army …

[pert]

1/10 Islamic Turkey sets terrorist who tried to kill my friend Lars Hedegaard free...

"Denmark´s diplomatic relationship with Turkey may be severely strained after reports that the man behind an attempted assassination of Islam critic Lars Hedegaard has been released from a Turkish prison.

Copenhagen Police said on Sunday that they were aware of reports that the 27-year-old suspect, `BH´, had been released by Turkish authorities. ...

Several Danish media outlets have reported that Hedegaard's would-be assassin was part of a prisoner exchange between Turkey and the terrorist group Isis, but that has not been confirmed."

[Ariel]

Danish immigrant party challenges populist right

The National Party is fronted by three brothers of Pakistani heritage who want to challenge the right-wing's seeming lock on "Danish values".

With a logo sporting the Danish flag, the party claims "Danish values such as respect, tolerance and peaceful coexistence" had come "under attack" as more politicians adopt the rhetoric of the hugely successful rightwing Danish People's Party (DF).

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I guess that what this party wants is the islamization of Denmark, and not democracy.

[Fernando]

With a logo sporting the Danish flag, the party claims "Danish values such as respect, tolerance and peaceful coexistence" had come "under attack" as more politicians adopt the rhetoric of the hugely successful rightwing Danish People's Party (DF).

I guess that what this party wants is the islamization of Denmark, and not democracy.

1984 doublespeak with a sprinkling of taqyya.

[Ariel]

Two Copenhagen men arrested with explosives

One of the arrestees is reportedly a lance corporal in the Danish army, but police are remaining tight-lipped on details and a possible motive.

Two men were arrested in Copenhagen on Thursday in possession of a kilo of explosives, Copenhagen Police announced on Friday.

According to the police, one of the men is associated with Defence Command Denmark (Forsvaret).

“The arrests took place yesterday morning at 10.01am and 10.21am in Copenhagen. One arrestee is a 33-year-old Dane with Pakistani roots. The other arrestee is a 31-year-old Danish man connected to Defence Command Denmark. Two packages of explosives weighing 500 grams were found, along with a fuse,” Copenhagen Police wrote in a series of tweets.

The two men will be charged with illegal possession of explosives, police said.

DR reported that the 31-year-old is a lance corporal in the Danish army, but police have not confirmed that information.

A police spokesman told TV2 News that the explosives were found at an address in the Copenhagen district of Nørrebro following a lengthy investigation.

Police said that they could not release additional information at this point and that the two men’s preliminary examination would take place behind closed doors.

http://www.thelocal.dk/20141024/two-arr ... explosives

Strange that we are not allowed to know about their motive.

[Ariel]

Very good!!!! Bless the Danes.

Denmark will not recognize Palestine

Speaking in Stockholm on Tuesday, Helle Thorning-Schmidt said that Denmark is not ready to follow Sweden's lead in recognizing a Palestinian state.

Participating in a meeting of Nordic and Baltic prime ministers ahead of the Nordic Council's 66th Session in Stockholm, Danish PM Helle Thorning-Schmidt said that Denmark is not prepared to recognize Palestine as a state.

more here

[Ariel]

Danish toy firm answers 'too white' criticism



After a Swedish advocacy group accuses Top-Toy's catalogues of not being diverse enough, a company spokeswoman tells The Local that its customers should be able to identify with its catalogues.

Danish toy company Top-Toy says it will “look into” the criticism from a Swedish advocacy group that its Christmas catalogues are “too white”.

Swedish campaign group Equalisters, which aims to correct imbalances of ethnic minority and gender representation in media, criticised four Swedish toy catalogues, including two from the Denmark-based Top-Toy, for not reflecting diversity.

"These catalogues are too white. I think it's really sad for non-white children," Equalisters chairperson Seher Yilmaz told The Local’s team in Stockholm.

Top-Toy says that it has heard the criticism and will take it into consideration.

more here

[Fernando]

They need to stock up on these to add diversity - or would that drive the politically correct into a frenzy? Image may be Not Safe For Denmark (or particularly Sweden)

Spoiler! :

[Ariel]

Muslims in Denmark cry their eyes out because they are wrongfully accused. Islam is love, they are innocent and they can not believe why some oil sheiks think otherwise.

Danish Muslim group on international terror list

The Islamic Association in Denmark says it has been wrongly included in a list of groups labelled as terrorist organizations by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over the weekend.

Around eighty extremist groups were listed by the UAE, with Islamic organizations in Denmark, Sweden and Norway featured alongside the likes of the Islamic State (Isis) and al-Qaeda.

The sole Danish group on the list was the Islamic Association in Denmark (Det Islamiske Forbund i Danmark). Mahammad Fouad Albarazi, an imam with the group, said he “cannot understand” why they were included.

“They are apparently not making distinctions between the organizations. I completely cannot understand it and I think the United Arab Emirates are just putting organizations on the list without looking into what kind of organizations they are,” Albarazi told TV2 News.

The UAE's list is part of the country's clampdown on terrorist activities, in line with the anti-terror law issued by President Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan in August.

On Monday, Nordic terrorism expert Magnus Ranstorp told The Local the list was a "game changer", because it "puts terror groups recognized by the EU and the UN alongside a second category of Muslim groups that are certainly not terrorist organizations".

He sad that the UAE had singled out Islamic associations in Scandinavia with links to the Muslim Brotherhood (or al-Ikhwan al-Muslimun in Arabic), one of the world's oldest and largest Islamist organizations.

The group was recently in power in Egypt under former President Mohammed Morsi, but was ousted following violent protests in 2013.

"Maybe the UAE does have information that it is not sharing, but I think it is more that these organizations in Sweden and Europe are seen as part of the umbrella of the Muslim Brotherhood," said Ranstorp.

"The UAE's decision is linked to the politics and power struggles going on in Egypt," he told The Local.

But he added that it was possible that "certain dodgy individuals" in Scandinavian Islamic organizations could be helping to fund the Muslim Brotherhood.

He also said that the new categorization of Scandinavian Islamic associations as "terrorists" could lead to some Muslims being unable to visit family members in the UAE.

"It is unclear exactly how laws will be applied by the UAE but this could lead to restricted travel movements for some people".

The UAE said it would impose harsh penalties on anyone who is connected to groups on its new list.

“Whoever seeks or communicates with a foreign state, terrorist organization or with anyone who works for their interests, to commit any terrorist act, shall be punished with imprisonment for life while the death penalty will be imposed if the terrorist act has been carried out,” reported Gulf News.

In August, the UAE toughened anti-terrorism laws in a bid to stamp out terror financing, hostage-taking, human trafficking and money laundering. The UAE's full list of terror organizations can be seen here.

http://www.thelocal.dk/20141117/danish- ... error-list

[manfred]

More support and benefits for returning ISIS Jihadists...

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/denmark-isis-f ... ts-1470546

[Fernando]

More support and benefits for returning ISIS Jihadists...

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/denmark-isis-f ... ts-1470546

Where you find this:

It is believed that the controversial Muhammad cartoons that were published in the daily newspaper Jyllands-Posten in 2005 have contributed to the issue, leading to increased polarisation of Danish society and discrimination against immigrants.

Greater numbers of, and more prolific, radical imams are a direct reaction to scandals such as this, says Magnus Ranstop, a leading terrorism expert now based in Sweden's Defence College, which leads to young people signing up to extremist offshoots of Islam

"Laugh at their fantasies, and they'll kill anyone in sight" seems to be the message those trick cyclists are telling.

[Ariel]

2 deadly shootings within hours in Copenhagen; 5 wounded

A shooting at a free speech event featuring an artist who had caricatured the Prophet Muhammad and a second shooting hours later outside a synagogue left two dead and five police officers wounded in Copenhagen, stirring fears that another terror spree was underway in a European capital a month after 17 people were killed in Paris attacks.

Police couldn't say whether the shootings at a cultural center Saturday afternoon and in front of the synagogue early Sunday were connected, but didn't rule it out. In both shootings, the gunman got away.

"We are looking for two perpetrators," police spokesman Allan Wadsworth-Hansen told reporters.

Two hours later, police announced they had shot and killed a man who shot at them near a train station and were investigating whether he could be linked to the two shootings. The police statement posted online says the shooting occurred after they had put an address near the train station under observation. The statement said no police officers were wounded.

The first shooting happened shortly before 4 p.m. Saturday. Danish police said the gunman used an automatic weapon to shoot through the windows of the Krudttoenden cultural center during a panel discussion on freedom of expression following the Paris attacks. A 55-year-old man attending the event was killed, while three police officers were wounded. Two belonged to the Danish security service PET, which said the circumstances surrounding the shooting "indicate that we are talking about a terror attack."

The gunman then fled in a carjacked Volkswagen Polo that was found later a few miles away, police said.

Lars Vilks, a Swedish artist who has faced numerous death threats for caricaturing the Prophet Muhammad, was one of the main speakers at the event, titled "Art, blasphemy and freedom of expression." He was whisked away by his bodyguards unharmed as the shooting began.

Vilks, 68, later told The Associated Press he believed he was the intended target of the shooting.

"What other motive could there be? It's possible it was inspired by Charlie Hebdo," he said, referring to the Jan. 7 attack by Islamic extremists on the French newspaper that had angered Muslims by lampooning Muhammad.

Police spokesman Joergen Skov said it was possible the gunman had planned the "same scenario" as in the Charlie Hebdo massacre.

After searching for the first gunman for hours, police reported the second shooting in downtown Copenhagen after midnight Sunday. Wadsworth-Hansen said that gunman opened fire at two police officers outside the synagogue. They were wounded in the arms and legs but were not in life-threatening condition, while a civilian man was killed. The gunman fled on foot.

Sebastian Zepeda, a 19-year-old visitor from London, said he didn't want to leave his hotel room after hearing of the first shooting and was text messaging with his mother when the second shooting happened on the street below.

"I was on my bed and I heard gunshots. And my heart raced," Zepeda said. "All of a sudden the road was packed with police."

Witnesses in a bar across the street from the synagogue said they saw special police teams moving in with automatic rifles.

"We looked out the window and saw this guy lying on the street," said Rasmus Thau Riddersholm, 33. "We were told by police to stay in the back of the room, away from the windows and doors."

Police initially said there were two gunmen at the cultural center but later said they believed there was only one shooter. They described him as 25 to 30 years old with an athletic build and carrying a black automatic weapon. They released a blurred photograph of the suspect wearing dark clothes and a scarf covering part of his face.

"I saw a masked man running past," said Helle Merete Brix, one of the event's organizers. "I clearly consider this as an attack on Lars Vilks."

Niels Ivar Larsen, one of the speakers at the event, told the TV2 channel he heard someone shouting and firing automatic weapons. "Police returned the fire and I hid behind the bar. I felt surreal, like in a movie," Larsen said.

Visiting the scene of the first shooting, Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt called it a "political attack and therefore an act of terror."

François Zimeray, the French ambassador to Denmark who was at the event to speak about the Charlie Hebdo attack, tweeted that he was "still alive." Police said he was not wounded.

French President Francois Hollande called the Copenhagen shooting "deplorable" and said Thorning-Schmidt would have the "full solidarity of France in this trial." French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve was arriving Sunday in Copenhagen.

Leaders across Europe condemned the violence and expressed support for Denmark. Sweden's security service said it was sharing information with its Danish counterpart, while U.S. National Security Council spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan said U.S. officials were ready to help with the investigation and have been in touch with their Danish counterparts.

Vilks has faced several attempted attacks and death threats after he depicted the Prophet Muhammad as a dog in 2007. A Pennsylvania woman last year got a 10-year prison term for a plot to kill Vilks. In 2010, two brothers tried to burn down his house in southern Sweden and were imprisoned for attempted arson.

Vilks told the AP after the Paris terror attacks that, due to increased security concerns, even fewer organizations were inviting him to give lectures.

The depiction of the prophet is deemed insulting to many followers of Islam. According to mainstream Islamic tradition, any physical depiction of the Prophet Muhammad — even a respectful one — is considered blasphemous.

While many Muslims have expressed disgust at the deadly assault on the Charlie Hebdo employees, many were also deeply offended by its cartoons lampooning Muhammad.

[Ariel]

Copenhagen, Denmark (CNN)—The man suspected of killing two people in Copenhagen swore fidelity to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in a posting made on what's apparently his Facebook page just before the weekend shooting spree.

The post pledges "allegiance to Abu Bakr in full obedience in the good and bad things. And I won't dispute with him unless it is an outrageous disbelief."

The suspect in Saturday's attack has been named as Omar Abdel Hamid El-Hussein, a senior member of the Danish government said. The gunman opened fire at a free speech forum in Copenhagen on Saturday before shooting several people outside a synagogue and then firing at police. Police killed him in the shootout.

The nation began the healing process Monday night with a candlelight vigil at which Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt appealed for national unity. Authorities estimated more than 40,000 attended the event.

"An attack on Denmark's Jews is an attack on everyone," she said. "The Jewish community is an important part of Denmark. We will stand together and continue the everyday life we know. We stand together as Danes."

Lars Vilks, a Swedish artist who attended Saturday's forum, believes he was likely the target of the attack. He escaped unharmed and told CNN on Monday he has gone into hiding. Vilks, known for his controversial depictions of the Prophet Mohammed, is on an al Qaeda hit list. He declined to specify when he first went into hiding and said he is not afraid.

Charges have been filed against two men who are accused of helping to hide the gunman, the men's attorney said Monday. Lawyer Michael Eriksen said the men, 19 and 22, were charged with two counts of accessory to murder and five counts of accessory to attempted murder.

At a news conference earlier Monday, Thorning-Schmidt said that the suspect was linked to a criminal group but at this stage, there are no known ties to a terror cell.

However, investigators do not rule out that the attacks might have been inspired by last month's terror attacks in Paris. Some security experts say the nexus between criminal gangs and violent extremists in Denmark is closer than in other nations. Jihadist activity has a history in Denmark, and more than 100 Danes are believed to have traveled to Syria and Iraq to fight with militants.

A possible target speaks out

The carnage started Saturday afternoon when the gunman stormed a Copenhagen cafe where Vilks was attending a free speech forum.
Lars Vilks became a target after a cartoon depicting the Prophet Mohammed with the body of a dog.

Once the attack started, Vilks noticed the gunman had more firepower with his rifle than the nearby officers with handguns.

"He was very well-equipped, and the policemen were not. So he had an advantage," Vilks told CNN. "Several of the policemen (were) wounded but still they tried to fire back."

Vilks said his bodyguards hustled him into a safe room.

By the end of the melee, the gunman had wounded three officers and killed a 55-year-old man. Police have not identified the deceased, but the Danish Film Institute said he was director Finn Noergaard.

Vilks, who has survived two previous attempts on his life, became a target after his 2007 cartoon depicting the prophet with the body of a dog, an animal that conservative Muslims consider unclean.

"It should be possible to insult all religions in a democratic way," Vilks said after that cartoon published. "If you insult one (religion), then you should insult the other ones."

Like Charlie Hebdo editor Stephane "Charb" Charbonnier, who was killed in the Paris attack, Vilks was one of nine faces on a "Most Wanted" graphic published by al Qaeda's Inspire magazine for "crimes against Islam."

Others include a pair of Danish journalists who published 12 cartoons depicting Mohammed in the Jyllands-Posten newspaper; Florida pastor Terry Jones, who burned a Quran; and "The Satanic Verses" author Salman Rushdie.

Vilks told CNN he saw the threat against himself and others as greater now than before.

Once you've been targeted, he said, there's no going back.

"There is no forgiveness. You are pointed out, and you are bound to die in these peoples' eyes, and there's no way out," Vilks said.

Slain synagogue guard mourned

Hours after the cafe attack, police said, the gunman made his way to a Copenhagen synagogue and once again opened fire. Two officers were wounded, and a man providing security for a bat mitzvah party behind the synagogue died.

The Jewish Society of Denmark identified the deceased as 37-year-old Dan Uzan. He was a member of the Horsholm 79ers basketball club in Copenhagen, club board member Peter Damm said.

"The Jewish Society is in shock about the attack, but everyone's thoughts are first and foremost with Dan's family and friends, and with the wounded police officers and their families," the group said.

Mette Bentow and her husband, Claus, were holding the bat mitzvah party for their daughter. She told CNN she feels angry at what happened, but also tremendous gratitude toward Uzan.

"We will remember that we owe our lives to him, and we will try and do our very best to be deserving of that," she said.

Police said they are investigating both shootings as possible terror attacks.

Surveillance images, taxi driver lead to suspect

Police identified the suspect from surveillance footage that shows him getting into a taxi after one of the attacks, Copenhagen police investigator Jorgen Skov said.
Copenhagen police released this photo of a man in connection with Saturday's terror attack.

"By interviewing the taxi driver, we got the address where he dropped off the person," Skov said. "We have been keeping that address under observation."

He said when officers tried to contact the suspect at the Copenhagen apartment Sunday, the suspect opened fire. Police fired back, killing the gunman.

No officers were injured.

Suspect was well-known by police

While police haven't formally released the name of the gunman, they said he is a 22-year-old man born in Denmark.

Authorities said he was "well-known by the police for several criminal incidents," including weapons violations and violence. Police also said he was "known in connection to gangs."

Carsten Ellegaard Christensen, a national security reporter at the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten, provided additional clues, citing sources with detailed knowledge of the investigation.

Christensen was told the dead gunman was Danish-Arab, living in Copenhagen, and was on the radar of authorities for gang activity, not for suspected Islamist extremism. As far as police know, he had not traveled to Syria or Iraq.

The gunman was recently in jail after being convicted of stabbing another young man with a knife several times on a commuter train, Christensen said. The man survived.

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[Ariel]

Hundreds attend funeral of Copenhagen gunman while screaming "Allah Ackbar."

Hundreds of people on Friday attended the Islamic burial of the gunman who killed two people in twin shootings in Copenhagen last weekend.

Omar El-Hussein, 22, was placed in an unmarked grave in the Muslim cemetery in Broendby, on the outskirts of Copenhagen, watched by around 500 people, mostly young men wearing thick black jackets against the cold and rain, an AFP reporter said.

El-Hussein, a Danish citizen of Palestinian origin, has been identified by police as the gunman who shot dead two people -- a filmmaker and a volunteer Jewish security guard -- in the Danish capital last weekend.

Before the burial, a short ceremony was held at a Copenhagen mosque following Friday prayers.

A man of east African origin, who refused to give his name, told AFP about the ceremony: "There were a lot of young people that you don't normally see there... because they knew Omar. Some of them were gang members.

"They are my brothers too because they believe in Allah and the Prophet Mohammed, but their lifestyle doesn't have a lot to do with Islam," he said.

A handful of those who were there he recognized as members of the Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir, but there were also many "normal Muslims," the man said.

"A Muslim cannot be denied a funeral. God will judge him," he said.

A young man who said he knew El-Hussein described him as "normal".


View gallery
Mourners surround the hearse carrying the body of Omar El-Hussein as it leaves a mosque in Copenhage …

"He just made the wrong choices, I do not see him as a terrorist," said the man, who gave his name as Mohammed.

El-Hussein had been linked to a criminal gang formed on the Copenhagen inner-city estate where he grew up.

Some of those who attended the funeral had covered their faces with scarves and hoods.

"We don't trust you. We say one thing (to you) and then you report something else," one man -- sporting a shaved head, baggy trousers and a beard -- told a journalist.


- Muslim community divided -


Copenhagen's Muslim community was divided ahead of the funeral.

A spokesman for the Danish Islamic Burial Fund objected to El-Hussein being buried at a cemetery run by his group.

"My concern is over extremist attitudes and actions on both sides," Ahmet Deniz told the Jyllands-Posten newspaper before the burial.

The funeral organiser, Kasem Said Ahmad, also from the Islamic Burial Fund, rejected claims that large numbers attending the funeral could be interpreted as support for the alleged gunman.

"It is a support for the family, not for him," he told Jyllands-Posten.

At the Friday sermon, held in Arabic, topics included how Muslims can work with each other to create a peaceful society, and the "threat" against Danish Muslims' security in the wake of the attacks.

Members of the Muslim community have reported a rise in anti-Muslim violence and discrimination across Denmark since the attacks.

"It's physical abuse in the form of stranglehold, violence, spitting and pushing," Khaterah Parwani, a spokeswoman for anti-discrimination group DRC, told public broadcaster DR.

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