An attack on the Danish cartoonist who sparked outrage with his depiction of the Muslim prophet Mohammed with a bomb in his turban should also be considered as an act of terrorism, a prosecutor said Monday as the trial against his alleged attacker drew to a close dpa reported
A Somali-born man is on trial for allegedly forcing his way into cartoonist Kurt Westergaard's home a year ago. That attack was aimed at inciting "fear and chaos" at large, prosecutor Kirsten Dyrman said in her closing remarks at the trial in Aarhus, western Denmark.
The 29-year-old accused's lawyer rejected this, arguing it was an attempt to frighten the cartoonist, adding that the prosecution had not been able to prove allegations of attempted murder.
The defendant did not exercise his right to address the court before it adjourned. Sentencing is due later this week.
Westergaard earlier told the court how the defendant, allegedly armed with an axe and a knife, had forced his way into his home on New Year's day in 2010.
The 75-year-old cartoonist said he was forced to hide in a panic room after hearing the man smashing a glass door with an axe. At the time, the cartoonist's granddaughter was in the house near Aarhus.
Since the publication of the caricatures, the Jyllands-Posten newspaper - and Westergaard - have been the target of several alleged plots