Danish intelligence says terrorism threat increased

Denmark's security service PET said on Thursday the terrorism threat to the country had increased as a result of the war in Gaza and several public Koran desecrations last year.

PET said the threat had increased due to "a number of factors in 2023". It remains at level four on PET's five-point scale.

"Overall, it is our assessment that the terrorist threat to Denmark has increased within the current level," said Michael Hamann, Head of the Center for Terror Analysis at PET.

"Desecrations of the Koran and the conflict in the Middle East both have a knock-on effect on the threat picture in Denmark."

He said the PET believed these factors would continue to effect the threat level during 2024.

"We consider the terrorist threat to Denmark and Danish interests abroad to be heightened for at least the coming year," Hamann said.

The intelligence service said Denmark was again perceived as a "prioritised target" for terrorist acts.

Over the summer of 2023, Denmark and neighbouring Sweden became the target of anger in several Muslim countries after a slew of protests in Scandinavia involving burnings and desecrations of the Koran.

In Iraq, nearly a thousand protesters attempted to march on the Danish embassy in Baghdad's fortified Green Zone in late July following a call by firebrand cleric Moqtada Sadr.

Between July 21 and October 24 last year, 483 book burnings or flag burnings were recorded in Denmark, according to national police figures.

In response, Denmark's parliament passed a law in December that criminalises the burning, tearing or otherwise defiling of religious texts such as Islam's holy book.