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Dane jailed for praising Islamic centre arson attempt

The Local Denmark
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Dane jailed for praising Islamic centre arson attempt
The man said his comments were "written in stupidity". Photo: Colourbox

A 27-year-old man was sentenced to a 40-day suspended jail sentence for applauding and encouraging arson attacks on an Islamic centre.

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The man wrote on Facebook in August that he would be happy to donate lighters and help pour petrol over the Copenhagen building belonging to the Islamic Society in Denmark (Det Islamiske Trossamfund).
 
His comments came after a 35-year-old man was arrested for an attempted arson attack on the building. The man set a minor fire, which caused superficial damage to the outside of the building. Some 40 people were inside the building at the time, leading the Islamic Society in Denmark to denounce the fire as "an act of terrorism”.
 
 
At Copenhagen City Court on Wednesday, the 27-year-old man defended himself by saying his Facebook comments weren’t meant to encourage an actual arson attempt. 
 
“I never in my wildest dreams imagined that it [the Facebook comment] could be considered an incitement. Otherwise I woudln’t have written it,” he said in court, according to TV2’s report. 
 
“It was written in stupidity because I let myself get carried away by the previous [Facebook] comments,” he added. 
 
Earlier this month, a 74-year-old man received a 60-day suspended jail sentence in Nykøbing Falster for similarly commenting that he would be happy to donate some petrol to help start mosque fires. 
 
In May, a 19-year-old Aarhus man was found guilty of encouraging terror by posting an Isis video to Facebook along with threats in English and Arabic that targeted “infidels” “lapsed [Muslims]” and “spies”. 
 

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