Request granted to hold men accused of plot to kill cartoonist

Copenhagen: Two Tunisians accused of plotting to kill a cartoonist who caricatured the Prophet Mohammad can be held in jail for nearly a month while authorities decide whether to deport them, a court ruled on Thursday.

The Copenhagen City Court approved a request by prosecutors to keep the men in custody pending a decision on whether to extradite them without trial under Denmark's anti-terror law.

Both were arrested along with a Danish citizen of Moroccan descent in a sting operation Tuesday in Aarhus, western Denmark.

Authorities said the three were plotting to murder one of the 12 cartoonists who drew caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad two years ago.

The Dane was released after questioning, but still faces charges of violating Denmark's terror law.