The BT website published an article yesterday, Wednesday, stating that Al-Qaeda urged targeting the kings of Denmark and Sweden, a matter on which experts differed in their analysis as to whether the speech contained a direct or indirect targeting.
According to the source, Swedish terrorism researcher Magnus Ranstorp said: “It is never good to be mentioned (the kings) in this way. They have been indirectly identified as targets in the formulations used by al-Qaeda.”.
The al-Qaeda terrorist organization broadcast a call for terrorist operations on its affiliated channel over the weekend, directly inciting attacks on Danish embassies and diplomats around the world because of the burning of the Quran in Denmark.
BT translated the entire three-page declaration from Arabic into Danish, and the translation shows that not only were embassies and diplomats mentioned, but al-Qaeda also mentions the “kings of Sweden and Denmark”: “Today, the Islamic nation is witnessing a rearmament and advance at the hands of the Crusaders who themselves burned the Holy Qur’an, and behind them stand the leaders of the Crusader campaign with their armies, equipment, governments and populations, headed by the kings of Sweden and Denmark,“ according to the statement, as reported by BT, which published excerpts of the statement (in Danish) under the title: Al-Qaeda Declaration entitled ”Statement on the Attack on the Qur’an and the Commitment to Fight the Aggressors.”
According to BT, MEMRI, which monitors Islamic terrorist groups, interprets al-Qaeda’s announcement as meaning that the Danish and Swedish royal houses have been designated as targets for potential terrorists: “The announcement calls on Muslims to carry out acts of violence in Europe, including killing the men behind the Quran burning, setting fire to and bombing Swedish and Danish embassies worldwide, and naming the heads of state and their diplomats,” according to MEMRI and BT.
Swedish terrorism researcher Magnus Ranstorp also sees al-Qaeda's announcement as an "indirect threat" to the Danish and Swedish royal families:
Excerpts from Al-Qaeda's statement
These texts are excerpts from a three-page statement by al-Qaeda entitled “Statement Regarding the Attack on the Qur’an and the Commitment to Fighting the Aggressors”:
“The reaction should be a continuation of God Almighty’s saying: (that they may feel your firmness). They should start by killing everyone who participated in these ongoing violations, burning and bombing Swedish and Danish embassies around the world and punishing the diplomats associated with them.”.
“Today, the Muslim nation is witnessing a rearmament and advance at the hands of the Crusaders, who themselves burned the Holy Quran. Behind them stand the leaders of the Crusade with their armies, equipment, governments, and populations, headed by the kings of Sweden and Denmark. They march arrogantly in their ranks, carrying the great cross on their heads. Facing them are more than two billion Muslims, not one of whom has yet advanced!!!”
BT stated that it obtained the al-Qaeda statement in Arabic from MEMRI, an organization that monitors Islamist groups, and translated it from Arabic into Danish using Native Translator.
“It is not targeting specific monarchs.”
On the other hand, there are other experts who are more hesitant to interpret al-Qaeda's statement as a threat to the royal family: “Royal houses have always been and will always remain a target for radical Islamists. They have enormous symbolic value, and symbolism means a lot. However, I don't see that al-Qaeda's statement identifies a target,” according to Jakob Karsbo, a security policy analyst at the European Research Center and former senior analyst at the Defense Intelligence Service.
“We don’t have a king in Denmark.”
According to the source, the security analyst continues, “We don’t have a king in Denmark, so it wouldn’t make much sense. Therefore, the intention is perhaps that referring to the Crusaders and “kings” could help incite supporters by creating a historical frame of reference.”.
Jacob Scharf, former president of PET and current director of the security company CERTA, supports this view: “I don’t see it as targeting, but as an image from the time of the Crusaders that the sender is trying to evoke in the receiver.”.
At the Danish Institute for International Studies, researcher Mona Kanwal-Sheikh believes that al-Qaeda’s declaration can be understood in both ways: “The fact that they mention ”kings“ can be read both symbolically and concretely, so it is impossible to know how their sympathizers read their statement and what they read between the lines.”.
The Department of Public Information refers to a previous statement indicating that the terrorist threat against Denmark has intensified as a result of the burning of the Quran, and that the department is taking “the necessary security measures in cooperation with the competent authorities.”
