Aarhus mosque arson attempt linked to violent online network

Authorities believe a 14-year-old was inspired by a violent extremist online network when he allegedly tried to set fire to a mosque in Aarhus in May, DR reports.

A person was sleeping inside the Aarhus Islamic Congregation’s premises in central Aarhus on the night of 26 May when a window was smashed. Someone entered and poured 15 litres of petrol over the rooms before trying unsuccessfully to ignite it and fleeing.

A 14-year-old boy was later arrested. According to information obtained by DR News, authorities have worked on the theory that he was part of a violent extremist online network known as NVE.

NVE stands for nihilistic violent extremism and is a collective term for loosely organised groups that glorify activities including extortion and violence. The incident at the mosque on Nørre Allé is the only known example of a physical act inspired by the NVE movement, according to DR.

Three teenagers are currently remanded in custody in alternative arrangements and are charged with attempted terrorism against Hadsten School. They are also believed to have been inspired by the NVE movement, but did not carry out an act to the same extent as in the Aarhus case.

The information has shocked the Danish Islamic Faith Community, which the Aarhus mosque belongs to.

“It is deeply concerning that children are suddenly willing to use violence. That we can be exposed to this kind of act is truly worrying,” said secretary general Namik Catkafa.

Case remains under investigation

East Jutland Police declined to comment on the case in detail, but confirmed in a written response to DR News that the 14-year-old received a sanction from the Youth Crime Board on 7 July.

It is not known what the boy told authorities or how he responded to the allegation. Police said the case was not closed and was “still under investigation”.

“At present, we cannot provide information about any possible motive or other circumstances that may have motivated the suspect,” police wrote.

The Danish Islamic Faith Community said the number of visitors to the Aarhus mosque had fallen by about half since the attack. The person who was sleeping in the building has stopped attending and withdrawn from the community after being deeply traumatised, Catkafa said.

PET warns of unpredictability

The latest assessment of Denmark’s terrorism threat by the Danish Security and Intelligence Service, PET, says new types of perpetrators are raising concern because it can be difficult to determine whether a person is motivated by personal problems or ideology.

“The combination also makes the use of violence, as well as the choice of target and method, more unpredictable,” PET wrote.

PET said some extreme and violent incidents resemble terrorism without having a clearly defined ideological motive. They may stem from a perpetrator’s fascination with violence or from social or psychiatric problems that lead to anger and a desire for revenge.

“For a number of perpetrators, personal factors merge with fragments of ideology and symbolism taken from extremist environments and known terrorist actors, and are channelled into extreme acts of violence,” PET wrote.

Potential targets may include religious communities and public institutions, as well as places connected to the perpetrator personally or located nearby. PET said schools could potentially be targeted by young perpetrators in this category.

PET declined to comment on the specific case involving the Aarhus mosque.

On Friday, three students were injured and a 17-year-old girl was killed when an 18-year-old man with links to extremist environments online attacked a secondary school in Fagersta, Sweden, with a sword.