Iran poses direct terror threat in Denmark, intelligence agency warns

Denmark’s domestic terror threat remains at the second-highest level, with Iran now explicitly named as a state actor targeting Israeli, Jewish, and dissident interests in the country, the Police Intelligence Service (PET) announced in its annual threat assessment published Friday.

PET chief Finn Borch Andersen stated that global security developments—particularly the actions of state actors—have heightened the risk, with Iran’s intelligence services actively recruiting operatives and leveraging criminal networks to plan attacks. “Iran poses a threat to Israeli and Jewish interests as well as certain Iranian dissidents in Europe, including Denmark,” Andersen said in a press statement.

The assessment marks the first time PET has publicly identified Iran as a specific threat within its annual report. Iranian operatives have previously carried out or plotted attacks against Jewish and Israeli targets across Europe, including a 2024 assault on the Israeli embassy in Copenhagen. Last week, two Danish men were charged in Germany with plotting to kill Jews in Berlin on Iran’s behalf.

PET warned that Iran often employs proxies—agents or criminal groups—to execute attacks, adding that escalating tensions between Iran and the U.S. could spill over into Denmark. While no direct conflict exists between Iran and Denmark, PET assessed that Iran may view Denmark as a battleground for its broader disputes.

The agency also reiterated that militant Islamist attacks remain the most likely threat, fueled in part by the Gaza conflict, which has radicalized new groups and inspired both spontaneous and planned violence. The Islamic State and al-Qaeda continue to mobilize, particularly in Africa, with ambitions to strike in Europe, though PET judges large-scale, complex attacks as less probable in the near term.

Most likely targets in Denmark include public gatherings, government institutions, Jewish or Israeli sites, locations perceived as offensive to Islam, and LGBTQ+ venues. PET emphasized that lone actors or small, loosely connected groups—often radicalized online—pose the highest risk.

Denmark’s terror threat level has stood at “serious” (level four of five) since 2010, indicating recognized capacity, intent, and active planning by threat actors. PET cautioned that the volatile geopolitical climate, particularly in the Middle East, could rapidly alter the domestic threat landscape.