The gunman who killed two people in twin attacks in Copenhagen in February had once shared a prison cell with an inmate who openly backed the Islamic State group, Danish media reports.
While serving time for a stabbing, Omar El-Hussein was reported three times by prison staff to the Danish Prison and Probation Service for expressing “extreme” views on Islam, TV 2 reports, citing a confidential report by the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Despite an email warning that the 22-year-old’s “extremism is getting worse” he was moved to a Copenhagen prison where he was placed with a cellmate who openly sympathized with the IS group.
His fellow inmate was reported last November to prison services and to Denmark’s security intelligence agency for “via a profile on Facebook supporting the Islamic State,” the report says.
Authorities also suspected El-Hussein wanted to travel to Syria after being released but were unable to get the information confirmed, according to the report.
“It seems like Omar has said that he wants to go to Syria to fight when he is released,” prison staff writee, adding that “the statements are not confirmed.”
El-Hussein was shot dead by police on February 15 after killing a Danish filmmaker outside a cultural centre before opening fire at a synagogue, killing Jewish guard Dan Uzan.
Copenhagen Jewish community guard Dan Uzan, killed in a February 15 terrorist attack (screen capture: Channel 2)
— AFP
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