Danish court refuses to hear undercover agent claim of man jailed for joining Isis
A Copenhagen court on Wednesday dismissed a
lawsuit filed by a man jailed for joining Islamic State (Isis) who wanted Danish
intelligence agencies to admit he was an undercover agent.
Ahmed Samsam, a 34-year-old Dane of Syrian origin, has captivated the Scandinavian nation with his attempt to force the PET secret services and FE
military intelligence to acknowledge that he provided information on foreign jihadist fighters when in Syria in 2013 and 2014.
However, Denmark's Eastern High Court said in a statement on Wednesday that his claims could not be tested in court "as he lacks a legal interest in this."
Samsam is already serving an eight-year jail term imposed by a Spanish court for being an Isis member. His lawyers have argued that a victory in the Denmark case would help fight that conviction.
But the court said that Samsam had not been able to prove that he would be entitled to a retrial or something similar in Spain, and it refused to examine
his "allegations of cooperation, as such an examination would not affect his legal position."
It added that the Spanish courts' rulings could not be understood in any other way than that "proven cooperation" would not have led to a different outcome.
Danish media investigations, based on anonymous sources and evidence of bank transfers, have backed Samsam's case.
READ ALSO: Why case of 'spy' sent to Syria is causing headaches for Danish government
The intelligence agencies have meanwhile insisted they cannot confirm the identities of their informants.
"It's a question of national security," Peter Biering, a lawyer for the PET and FE, told the court in August.
The agencies have to protect sources and "prevent terrorism," Biering added.
Samsam was arrested by Spanish police who had found pictures of him on Facebook posing with the IS flag.
Samsam has never denied travelling to his home country during the civil war that erupted in 2011 but insisted throughout the case that he had been an informer rather than a jihadist.
Samsam left Denmark in 2012 to fight Bashar al-Assad's government. On his return, he was investigated by Danish authorities but the case was closed.
He says he was then sent to the war zone several times with money and equipment supplied by PET and then FE.
Samsam has been serving his jail sentence, which has been commuted to six years, in Denmark since 2020.
Comments
See Also
Ahmed Samsam, a 34-year-old Dane of Syrian origin, has captivated the Scandinavian nation with his attempt to force the PET secret services and FE
military intelligence to acknowledge that he provided information on foreign jihadist fighters when in Syria in 2013 and 2014.
However, Denmark's Eastern High Court said in a statement on Wednesday that his claims could not be tested in court "as he lacks a legal interest in this."
Samsam is already serving an eight-year jail term imposed by a Spanish court for being an Isis member. His lawyers have argued that a victory in the Denmark case would help fight that conviction.
But the court said that Samsam had not been able to prove that he would be entitled to a retrial or something similar in Spain, and it refused to examine
his "allegations of cooperation, as such an examination would not affect his legal position."
It added that the Spanish courts' rulings could not be understood in any other way than that "proven cooperation" would not have led to a different outcome.
Danish media investigations, based on anonymous sources and evidence of bank transfers, have backed Samsam's case.
READ ALSO: Why case of 'spy' sent to Syria is causing headaches for Danish government
The intelligence agencies have meanwhile insisted they cannot confirm the identities of their informants.
"It's a question of national security," Peter Biering, a lawyer for the PET and FE, told the court in August.
The agencies have to protect sources and "prevent terrorism," Biering added.
Samsam was arrested by Spanish police who had found pictures of him on Facebook posing with the IS flag.
Samsam has never denied travelling to his home country during the civil war that erupted in 2011 but insisted throughout the case that he had been an informer rather than a jihadist.
Samsam left Denmark in 2012 to fight Bashar al-Assad's government. On his return, he was investigated by Danish authorities but the case was closed.
He says he was then sent to the war zone several times with money and equipment supplied by PET and then FE.
Samsam has been serving his jail sentence, which has been commuted to six years, in Denmark since 2020.
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.