2010-07-13 06:39

OSLO - Three men arrested in Norway and Germany last week on suspicion of plotting attacks and of having links to Al-Qaida were planning to hit targets in Norway, police authorities said on Monday.

Norwegian police have said the three men arrested last Thursday were involved in a plot to organise at least one attack and were linked to individuals investigated in the United States and Britain.

"We believe they were planning one or several attacks on Norwegian soil," police attorney Signe Aalling told reporters during a break at a court hearing in Oslo on Monday, adding that the men were accused of "conspiring to carry out terrorist acts" and that police were investigating possible connections abroad.

Asked if the men may have been targeting countries other than Norway, Aalling declined to comment directly, but said the substances the men are accused of using to make an explosive would be difficult to transport.

"Hydrogen peroxide-based bombs are unstable," she said.

The court named two of the suspects as Mikael Davud and David Jakobsen.

Davud is a 39-year-old Norwegian citizen whose origin is Uighur, while Jakobsen is a 31-year-old Uzbek citizen who has permanent residency in Norway.

Lawyers for Davud and Jakobsen said the men pleaded not guilty to the accusations.

Collaboration

Davud's lawyer denied his client was involved in the case.

Jakobsen's lawyer said, however, that his client was acquainted with Davud and had been collaborating with the Norwegian Police Security Service (PST) since November 2009.

"In the late fall of 2009 he became worried about Davud's actions after a specific episode that has not yet been revealed in the media. He then contacted the police," Jakobsen's lawyer, Kjell Dahl, told reporters.

"He had his first meeting with PST on 20 November 2009. From then on, he has had two to four meetings a month with two contact persons at PST," Dahl said. "He is horrified and disappointed by the accusations after having worked so closely with PST".

Monday's court hearing extended detention of the two men arrested in Norway by four weeks, with the next two spent in isolation without access to newspapers or the Internet.

Police lawyers had lobbied to detain the suspects for a total of eight weeks to gain more time to file charges.

Separately, the lawyer for the third man arrested, a 37-year-old Iraqi apprehended in the German city of Duisburg, said his client would be extradited to Norway quickly.

"He has agreed to be extradited to Norway so there won't be much formality...I think it will happen during this week," said the man's lawyer, Arvid Sjoedin.

Sjoedin said his client pleaded not guilty to the accusations and denied any involvement in the case.