Danish intelligence services and the Copenhagen Police made several arrests on Thursday in a coordinated effort against a suspected terrorist attack. Israeli authorities said the suspects had been acting on behalf of Hamas, with the aim of killing civilians on European soil.
"In recent years, and even more so after the murderous attack on October 7, Hamas strives to expand its operational capabilities around the world, and in Europe in particular," Israeli authorities said, "to realize its ambitions to strike Israeli, Jewish, and Western targets at any cost."
The arrests were "carried out in close collaboration with our foreign partners," Flemming Drejer, who heads Denmark's Security and Intelligence Service, said, according to the AP. "Persons abroad have been charged."
"This is extremely serious," Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said to reporters at the European Union Summit in Brussels. "It is of course, completely unacceptable in relation to Israel and Gaza, that there is someone who takes a conflict somewhere else in the world into Danish society."
Denmark currently has its terror threat level set to "serious," the second-highest out of five. Drejer said that the country was not planning to change that assessment in response to this threat.
He said the case had "threads abroad," the AP reported, and "was related to criminal gangs," in particular the Loyal to Familia gang, which was banned by a Danish court in January 2020.
Denmark's Chief Rabbi: gov't has been great, but we remain concerned
Rabbi Jair Melchior, Denmark's Chief Rabbi, told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday: "We are very pleased with the vigilance shown by our intelligence and police forces and the strong collaboration with local authorities. It's a relief that they acted in time."
Melchior added, "In their statement, [Danish security personnel] mentioned a desire to extend the surveillance period [on the alleged terrorists] but were compelled to go public due to the delicate circumstances."
As for the situation for Jews in Copenhagen since October 7, the rabbi said, "Over the past two months, there's been a noticeable increase in antisemitic incidents, a trend that's evident worldwide. However, the situation here is unique. There are indications of ties to international terrorist groups.
"In Denmark, the community has received widespread political support across the entire political spectrum. In response to the rise in antisemitic incidents, the Danish justice minister has visited our community five times since October 7. The prime minister has attended two of our events.
"We organized an event following the October 7 attacks, which even saw participation from the far-left in a show of solidarity. This was an extraordinary event. Despite this, we remain concerned about the ongoing situation."
Terror plot comes amid already increased security
Denmark ordered its military to protect Jewish and Israeli sites earlier this month, deploying soldiers to guard both Israel's embassy and Copenhagen's synagogue. "The terrorist threat against Denmark is serious," the country's justice minister, Peter Hummelgaard, said at the time. "And the conflict in the Middle East has led to a completely unacceptable rise in antisemitism and more uncertainty among Jews in Denmark."
Police resources were already stretched thin as security forces worked to contain both large protests over the war in Gaza and controversial events at which participants were burning the Quran. Denmark moved in September to ban the burning of religious books, sparking controversy over free speech rights and religious sensitivity.