A Danish court has convicted two Swedish nationals of terrorism and attempted murder for detonating two hand grenades near the Israeli embassy in Copenhagen in October 2024, the Associated Press reported on Tuesday.
According to the Swedish news agency TT, the Copenhagen City Court sentenced the 18‑year‑old to 12 years in prison and the 21‑year‑old to 14 years. Authorities said the pair acted on behalf of a criminal gang.
The attack took place in the early hours of October 2, 2024, when the two threw hand grenades toward the Israeli embassy. The explosives did not reach the embassy and instead detonated on the terrace of a nearby residential building where a family with children lived. No injuries were reported.
Police said the blasts occurred about 100 meters from the embassy, which is located in an area with several diplomatic missions. Copenhagen’s Jewish school, Carolineskolen, is situated down the street but was closed at the time.
Both defendants admitted to throwing the grenades but claimed they did so for money and denied any ideological motive to target an Israeli site. The court was divided on the terrorism charge, TT reported. Two judges and four jurors found them guilty of terrorism, while one judge and two jurors dissented.
Lawyers for both men said they intend to appeal the verdicts, which include deportation to Sweden after serving their sentences.