Danes arrest 3 Iranian activists accused of praising attack

Three members of an Iranian opposition group were arrested Wednesday on suspicion of having praised those behind a Sept. 22 terror attack in Iran that killed at least 25 people. Police spokesman Bjoerke Kierkegaard said that would violate Danish laws and they could face fines or up to two years in prison. Kierkegaard said all three are members of the Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahwaz that Tehran has blamed for the deadly attack in the Iranian city of Ahvaz. However, ASMLA has condemned the violence and says it was not involved. The men were held on preliminary charges — a step short of formal charges. Denmark’s intelligence agency has said that a police operation last month that briefly cut off Copenhagen from the rest of Denmark stemmed from an alleged Iranian plot to kill an ASMLA activist. The person was not named. Iran has strongly denied the allegation, calling it an Israeli conspiracy that sought to harm Tehran’s relations with the European Union, A series of raids were also made in Denmark Wednesday, Kierkegaard said, adding that the ASMLA remains under police protection out of fears they still may be targeted.