Around the World: Denmark

Cartoonist's attacker held

An ax-wielding Somali man with suspected Al-Qaida links has been charged with two counts of attempted murder after breaking into the home of a Danish artist whose Prophet Muhammad cartoon outraged the Muslim world three years ago. The suspect, who was shot twice by a police officer responding to the scene, was rolled into a Danish court on a stretcher on Saturday, his face covered. He was ordered held for four weeks on preliminary charges of attempting to murder the cartoonist and the police officer who shot him.

Denmark's Politiken newspaper reported yesterday that Danish intelligence knew the 28-year-old Somali man was held in Kenya in September for allegedly plotting an attack against US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. He was later released due to lack of evidence.