Prophet cartoonist axe attacker guilty of terrorism



AARHUS, DENMARK // A court convicted a man of attempted terrorism and attempted murder yesterday for an axe attack on a Danish cartoonist who had caricatured the Prophet Mohammed.

The court in the central Danish town of Aarhus ruled that Mohammed Geele, a Danish man from Somalia, not only tried to kill Kurt Westergaard when he broke into his home on January 1, 2010, wielding an axe and a knife, but also that the attack amounted to an act of terrorism.

"The court deems that the attempted murder of Kurt Westergaard in his own home … must be considered as an attempt to instil a heightened level of fear in the population and to destabilise the structures of society," which falls under the Danish antiterrorism law, Judge Ingrid Thorsboe said.

The verdict was reached unanimously by the jury's eight members, she added.

The court is scheduled to rule on Geele's sentencing today. The Somali could face life in prison.

Mr Westergaard, 75, had testified during last month's trial that Geele rushed in screaming "You must die! You are going to Hell!", forcing the cartoonist to escape "certain death" by rushing into a bathroom-turned-panic room to call police.

Geele later threatened police with his axe and knife before being shot and wounded twice and placed under arrest.

Geele insisted during the trial that he was only trying to scare the cartoonist to get him to stop "dirtying" the Prophet Mohammed.

His lawyer argued he should not be found guilty of attempted terrorism because his client's attack was directed at one single person and not the entire population.

To illustrate his point, he had asked the jurors if they had been "frightened" the day they learnt of the attack.

Kirsten Dyrman, the prosecutor, stressed in her closing comments that the attack "aimed at creating enormous waves, chaos, and to sow fear among the population".

"It had repercussions not only in Denmark, but around the world. That is why he must be sentenced under the antiterrorism law," Ms Dyrman said.

The five-year-old daughter of a friend of Mr Westergaard was alone in the house with the cartoonist at the time of the attack.

Aarhus is home to the Jyllands-Posten daily that in 2005 first published Mr Westergaard's and other artists' controversial cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed.

Mr Westergaard has faced numerous death threats since the publication of his drawing, the most controversial of the 12 cartoons which appeared in Jyllands-Posten on September 30, 2005.

The drawings sparked protests across the Islamic world in early 2006.

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Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

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Started: October 2021

Founders: Tamer Amer and Karim Maurice

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Investors: A15 and self-funded 

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Hometown: Bogota, Colombia
Favourite place to relax in UAE: the desert around Al Mleiha in Sharjah or the eastern mangroves in Abu Dhabi
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Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani

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Anxiety and work stress major factors

Anxiety, work stress and social isolation are all factors in the recogised rise in mental health problems.

A study UAE Ministry of Health researchers published in the summer also cited struggles with weight and illnesses as major contributors.

Its authors analysed a dozen separate UAE studies between 2007 and 2017. Prevalence was often higher in university students, women and in people on low incomes.

One showed 28 per cent of female students at a Dubai university reported symptoms linked to depression. Another in Al Ain found 22.2 per cent of students had depressive symptoms - five times the global average.

It said the country has made strides to address mental health problems but said: “Our review highlights the overall prevalence of depressive symptoms and depression, which may long have been overlooked."

Prof Samir Al Adawi, of the department of behavioural medicine at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, who was not involved in the study but is a recognised expert in the Gulf, said how mental health is discussed varies significantly between cultures and nationalities.

“The problem we have in the Gulf is the cross-cultural differences and how people articulate emotional distress," said Prof Al Adawi. 

“Someone will say that I have physical complaints rather than emotional complaints. This is the major problem with any discussion around depression."

Daniel Bardsley

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Ovo's tips to find extra heat
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Rating: 5/5

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Fixtures

Saturday January 11 - UAE v Oman

Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia

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Best Men's Player of the Year: Kylian Mbappe (PSG)

Maradona Award for Best Goal Scorer of the Year: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)

TikTok Fans’ Player of the Year: Robert Lewandowski

Top Goal Scorer of All Time: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)

Best Women's Player of the Year: Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)

Best Men's Club of the Year: Chelsea

Best Women's Club of the Year: Barcelona

Best Defender of the Year: Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus/Italy)

Best Goalkeeper of the Year: Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG/Italy)

Best Coach of the Year: Roberto Mancini (Italy)

Best National Team of the Year: Italy 

Best Agent of the Year: Federico Pastorello

Best Sporting Director of the Year: Txiki Begiristain (Manchester City)

Player Career Award: Ronaldinho

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- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut

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Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
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L - Juventus, 2-0
D - C Palace, 2-2
W - N Forest, 3-0
L - Liverpool, 2-0
D - Feyenoord, 3-3
L - Tottenham, 4-0
L - Brighton, 2-1
L - Sporting, 4-1
L - Bournemouth, 2-1
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