Basil Hassan (born 1987) is a Danish external operations plotter for the

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS occupied signi ...

(ISIL). In 2013, Hassan was accused of attempting to shoot

Lars Hedegaard Lars Hedegaard Jensen (born 19 September 1942) is a Danish author, historian, editor, journalist and critic of Islam. He established the International Free Press Society in 2009, an extension of the Danish Free Press Society founded in 2004, of ...

, a 70-year old Danish author and journalist. After being arrested in Turkey in 2014, he was released as part of an alleged exchange for 49 hostages held by the ISIL. After his release, Hassan was believed to have travelled to Syria to join ISIL. In November 2016, the

US State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs o ...

issued a note, designating three persons as terror operatives. He was in 2020 reported to be the mastermind of a failed attempt to blow up a long distance airliner, in what was later cited as the most ingenious ISIS terror project.

Background

Hassan grew up in Greve, Denmark, where he lived until he moved with his family to

Nørrebro Nørrebro (, ) is one of the 10 official districts of Copenhagen Municipality, Denmark. It is northwest of the city centre, beyond the location of the old Northern Gate (''Nørreport''), which, until dismantled in 1856, was near the current N ...

in Copenhagen around 2000. He began studying at the

Frederiksberg Gymnasium Frederiksberg Gymnasium is an upper secondary school ( Danish gymnasium) in the Frederiksberg district of Copenhagen, Denmark. Its current building, located just off Falkoner Allé, was inaugurated in 2004 to a design by Henning Larsen Architects ...

in 2003, during which time he started socialising with known extremists. In 2007, one of his friends were convicted for terrorism in the Glostrup Terrorists Case.

References

1987 births Danish Islamists Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant members Islamic terrorism in Denmark Possibly living people {{Denmark-bio-stub