Copenhagen attacker's alleged aides stand trial for supporting terrorism

Four men accused of assisting terror attacks here last year went on trial at a local court Thursday.

The four men, aged 18-31, were accused of assisting Omar El-Hussein, a gunman who killed two people in the twin attacks in the Danish capital Copenhagen in February 2015.

The prosecution claimed that the four were in close contact with El-Hussein in the hours after his first attack, and supplied him with ammunition, a hoodie and a shoulder bag that he used in the second attack.

They were also accused of having paid for the killer's time in an Internet cafe where he located his second target, a synagogue.

Furthermore, two of the men have also been charged with helping El-Hussein get rid of an M95 rifle he used outside the Krudttoenden cultural center, where the first attack occurred.

Prosecutors believed that the four encouraged El-Hussein to carry out his second attack and should therefore be convicted of involvement in terrorism.

According to Danish news agency Ritzau, the four on Thursday pleaded not guilty to charges of involvement in terrorism, but the 31-year-old had admitted to having possessed ammunition in the case while the 20-year-old had admitted to having possessed one mobile phone.

The Copenhagen attacks last year left a filmmaker and a Jewish security guard dead and five wounded. The gunman was shot dead by police hours later in a manhunt.

The four have been detained since February and March last year and could face life in prison if found guilty. Endi