A 28-year-old man was remanded in custody Monday by the Copenhagen City Court on suspicion of collaborating with others to acquire drones for the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas, allegedly intended for use in a terrorist attack either in Denmark or abroad. The detention is linked to a major operation in December 2023, when security services PET and multiple police districts made several arrests across Denmark.
The man was jailed in absentia in 2023 as he was not in the country. He was later extradited from Lebanon to Denmark in relation to a double murder case. PET believes him to be a leader in the criminal gang “Loyal to Familia,” proscribed since 2021, and also have ties to Hamas. He was featured in an organizational chart shared by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on X, outlining Hamas’s intent to carry out attacks in Europe.
“It is of course deeply concerning if we have a terrorism case on Danish soil with links to an organization like Hamas,” said Flemming Drejer, Head of Operations at PET, in a press release.
A 59-year-old man, described as a familiar face in the Copenhagen immigrant community, was arrested in 2023 in relation to the case but later released. He is now in custody on suspicion involving money transfers abroad and potential money laundering. The 59-year-old has publicly talked about civil war and the situation of Muslims in Denmark.
The conflict in the Middle East continues to influence the threat landscape in Denmark more than a year after Hamas’s terrorist attack on Israel on October 7th, 2023, leading PET to recommend protection of Jewish and Israeli interests in Denmark.
All of the arrested in the case have pleaded not guilty.
