Denmark: 2 held for attempting procurement of drones for IS

Copenhagen, Sept 27: The Denmark police have revealed the arrest of two men on charges of trying to procure unmanned aerial vehicles - commonly called drones - on behalf of the Islamic State (IS) in Syria, intelNews reported. They said in a statement issued on Wednesday, September 26, that they worked closely with PET which is the country's security and intelligence service as part of "a long-term investigation" which still continues in the Greater Copenhagen area.

The press statement also said that the two men held are members of the Denmark-based Islamist groups and the police knew them prior to their arrest. They are also known to be part of a larger Islamist network in Denmark which supports the IS. A police spokersperson said the case involves "procurement and facilitation" of unmanned aerial vehicle components, "including drones, from Denmark to the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq". He also said that the components were gathered for reconnaissance and combat operations overseas by the extremist group, the intelNews report added.

This is, however, not the first time that authorities in Denmark arrested individuals for trying to attempt to procure drones and equipment for the IS. Last year, a 28-year-old man was accused of shipping drone equipment and infrared cameras to a location in Turkey. The disassembled material was picked by a Turkish couple who was known to be IS members and arrested after an international police operation. The IS has been using drones since October 2016 on many occasions.

The arrested duo is likely to be produced before the court on Thursday, September 27. The intelNews report said that the prosecutors could seek a closed-door hearing since the probe against IS supporters' network in Denmark is underway.