Terror trial begins in Denmark

The trial of four Swedes accused of plotting a revenge attack on a Danish newspaper that printed caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed has started in Denmark.

The four men – three citizens and one resident of Sweden – are accused of terrorism and illegal possession of weaponry and could face 16 years in prison if found guilty.

A lawyer for one of the accused, Mounir Ben Mohamed Dhahri, said today before the trial that his client would plead guilty to the weapons violation but not guilty to the terrorism charge.

Three of the four accused were arrested in December 2010 while they were allegedly on their way to carry out a violent shooting attack on the Jyllands-Posten newspaper that published 12 cartoons of the prophet in 2005.