Chinese
Chinese may refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China.
**'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...
Al-Qaeda
, image = Flag of Jihad.svg
, caption = Jihadist flag, Flag used by various al-Qaeda factions
, founder = Osama bin Laden{{Assassinated, Killing of Osama bin Laden
, leaders = {{Plainlist,
* Osama bin Lad ...
operative convicted for conspiracy to commit terror against the Danish newspaper ''
Jyllands-Posten
(; English: ''The Morning Newspaper "The Jutland Post"''), commonly shortened to or ''JP'', is a Danish daily broadsheet newspaper. It is based in Aarhus C, Jutland, and with a weekday circulation of approximately 120,000 copies.Arrested in 2010, Davud was sentenced to eight years imprisonment in 2013.
Early life
Born Muhammed Rashidin, an ethnic
Uyghur
Uyghur may refer to:
* Uyghurs, a Turkic ethnic group living in Eastern and Central Asia (West China)
** Uyghur language, a Turkic language spoken primarily by the Uyghurs
*** Old Uyghur language, a different Turkic language spoken in the Uyghur K ...
from the
Xinjiang
Xinjiang,; , SASM/GNC romanization, SASM/GNC: Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Sinkiang, officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People' ...
province in
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
, Davud came to Norway in 1999 as a refugee and was granted Norwegian citizenship in 2007. He changed his name to Mikael Davud the same year, in 2007. He has been described as deeply religious and to have refused to learn the Norwegian language for perceived religious purposes. In the 1990s he studied at a
Quran school
Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , ), sometimes romanized as madrasah or madrassa, is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whether for elementary education or higher learning. ...
Karachi
Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...
,
Pakistan
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
. His activities in Pakistan and China's subsequent demand for extradition caused Davud to flee to Norway as a refugee in 1999.
Arrest and conviction
As part of the investigation of a suspected terror plot revealed in 2010, Davud was reportedly subjected to the "full arsenal of surveillance" of the
Norwegian Police Security Service
The Norwegian Police Security Service (, ) is the police security agency of Norway. The agency was previously known as ''POT'' (' or Police Surveillance Agency), the name change was decided by the Parliament of Norway on 2 June 2001.
History an ...
(PST). After cooperation with US and British intelligence, Davud was thought to be the leader of a Norwegian Al-Qaeda cell, with connections to the terror network responsible for the
2009 New York City Subway and United Kingdom plot
The 2009 New York City Subway and United Kingdom plot was a plan to bomb the New York City Subway as well as a target in the United Kingdom.
In September 2009, several individuals fell under suspicion and were arrested due to fears that a suspe ...
. Evidence included series of
email
Electronic mail (usually shortened to email; alternatively hyphenated e-mail) is a method of transmitting and receiving Digital media, digital messages using electronics, electronic devices over a computer network. It was conceived in the ...
s, and having received bomb-making training abroad. He is suspected of having had direct contacts with the commander of the
Turkistan Islamic Party
The Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP) is an Uyghur Islamic extremist organization founded in Pakistan by Hasan Mahsum. Its stated goals are to establish an Islamic state in Xinjiang and Central Asia.
The Chinese government asserts that the T ...
(TIP), and Al-Qaeda tops like Saleh al-Somali thought to have ordered the attacks.
Davud is alleged to have spent five months at an Al-Qaeda training camp in the
Waziristan
Waziristan (Persian language, Persian, Pashto, Ormuri, , ) is a mountainous region of the Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The Waziristan region administratively splits among three districts: North Waziristan, Lower South Waziristan Dis ...
region in Pakistan from 2008 to 2009, although he himself claims to have received training in
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
and in
Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
as part of a solo terror plot to bomb the Chinese embassy in
Oslo
Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...
. Considered the ringleader, he was convicted to seven years in prison by the
Oslo District Court
Oslo District Court () is a district court located in Oslo, Norway. This court is based at the Oslo Courthouse in the city of Oslo. The court serves the entire city of Oslo and the court is subordinate to the Borgarting Court of Appeal. As the ...
for conspiracy to commit terror by plotting to bomb the Danish newspaper ''Jyllands-Posten'' and/or shoot cartoonist
Kurt Westergaard
Kurt Westergaard (born Kurt Vestergaard; 13 July 1935 – 14 July 2021) was a Danish cartoonist. In 2005 he drew a cartoon of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, wearing a bomb in his turban as a part of the ''Jyllands-Posten'' Muhammad cartoons, whic ...
. His solo terrorist claims, which would have avoided the stricter anti-terror law sentencing associated with conspiring with at least one other person, was dismissed by the court. His accomplice Shawan Bujak was sentenced to three and a half years, while the third suspect David Jakobsen was acquitted for terror charges due to having contacted and assisted PST. The verdicts were upheld following appeals to the
Borgarting Court of Appeal
The Borgarting Court of Appeal () is one of six intermediate courts of appeal in the Kingdom of Norway. The Court is located in the city of Oslo. The court has jurisdiction over the counties of Oslo, Buskerud, and parts of Akershus and Østfold. ...
and finally the
Supreme Court of Norway
The Supreme Court of Norway ( Norwegian Bokmål: ; Norwegian Nynorsk: ; lit. 'Highest Court') is the highest court in the Norwegian judiciary. It was established in 1815 on the basis of section 88 in the Constitution of the Kingdom of Norway, ...
, while Davud's sentence was raised to eight years.
In 2016 Davud sued the Norwegian state, demanding to be released on probation as he had served two thirds of his sentence, claiming good behaviour.