Four guilty of Danish plot over Muhammad cartoons

The court heard the men wanted to kill people in revenge for Jyllands-Posten's publication of cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad in 2005.

The four were all Muslims resident in Sweden. Police said they were arrested just hours before the foiled attack.

All the men had denied charges of terrorism against them.

The Copenhagen-based newspaper's publication of the cartoons of Muhammad sparked protests in Muslim countries.

Target

Munir Awad, Omar Abdallah Aboelazm and Munir Ben Mohamed Dhahri, a Tunisian citizen, were picked up by police on 29 December 2010 at a flat near Copenhagen.

Sabhi Ben Mohamed Zalouti was arrested a day later after crossing into Sweden, then extradited back to Denmark.

Swedish and Danish intelligence officials tracked the men - who all lived in Sweden but were either born or had parents born in Tunisia, Egypt and Lebanon - for a number of months ahead of the arrests.

A machine-gun with a silencer, a pistol and 108 bullets, and rolls of duct tape were among items found in the men's possession when they were arrested.

The indictment said the men had deliberately planned to frighten the population of Denmark.

Prosecutors said that they had intended to kill "an unknown number" of people during the attack, which had been due to take place on the same day as a sporting award ceremony attended by Crown Prince Frederik.

Denmark remains a target for Islamist militants almost seven years since Jyllands-Posten published 12 cartoons showing the Prophet Muhammad in a variety of humorous or satirical situations.