(AFP) COPENHAGEN, Denmark — A Danish court on Tuesday acquitted four Danes accused of aiding a Copenhagen gunman who killed a filmmaker and a Jewish security guard in twin attacks in February 2015.
The four had been charged with terror offenses for allegedly providing support for Danish-Palestinian Omar El-Hussein ahead of the second attack, which took place outside a synagogue.
Their actions were “not of such a character that the actions can lead to a conviction for complicity,” the verdict read.
The four men, Bhostan Hossein, 27, Liban Elmi, 21, Ibrahim Abbas, 23, and Mahmoud Rabea, 32, smiled towards each other and their lawyers when the verdict was read out.
Hossein and Elmi were however convicted of a lesser charge of disposing of the weapon. Their sentence will come at a later date.
On February 14, 2015, Danish-born El-Hussein opened fire with an automatic rifle outside a cultural center hosting a free speech event.
In what is believed to have been an attempt to stop the assailant outside the center, filmmaker Finn Norgaard, 55, was killed and three police officers were wounded.
Later that night, El-Hussein — seemingly inspired by the attacks on French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo — headed to the city’s main synagogue, where he shot and killed 37-year-old Jewish security guard Dan Uzan.
El-Hussein, 22, was shot dead by police hours later, having killed two people and wounded five.
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