Danish police arrest man over kidnap incitement

COPENHAGEN, Nov 11 (Reuters) Danish police today arrested a man they say was inciting others to kidnap Danish citizens abroad in order to force Denmark to release two Muslims arrested in September on suspicion of plotting a bomb attack.

The 22-year-old man is a Danish citizen of Turkish origin living in Copenhagen, the Danish Security and Intelligence Service (PET) said in a statement.

In September, Danish police arrested eight young Muslims in pre-dawn raids on suspicion of plotting a bomb attack and having links with al Qaeda. Six were later released, but two men are still in custody under anti-terror laws passed after the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

The man arrested today has connections to the two still in detention, the PET said. He will appear in court tomorrow.

Police warned of a risk of ''terror acts aimed specifically at Danes in countries where al Qaeda-related networks are known to operate, including Turkey, Syria, Pakistan and Afghanistan.'' Denmark holds a parliamentary election on Tuesday, with polls showing Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen and his allies neck-and-neck with the leftist opposition.

Terror experts say Denmark is a target for extremists because of its military involvement in Iraq -- which was largely ended this year -- and Afghanistan, along with last year's crisis over cartoons lampooning the Prophet Mohammad.

REUTERS SBCHT2357