Breaking - Denmark Increasing Border Controls

Denmark Increases Border Security

Police in Denmark will be increasing border controls along its shared borders with both Sweden and Germany. The Danish National Police say that includes an increased presence and checks on all train and ferry traffic arriving from Sweden to ports in Sjælland and in Lolland-Falster. There will also be an increase in random car checks for vehicle traffic over the Øresund bridge and traffic arriving from Germany in southern Jutland.

Chief Police Inspector Peter Ekebjærg:

“We are following the current situation closely, assessing the significance for the overall threat picture, and continuously implementing necessary security measures.”

German police also recently put in place temporary border controls for vehicle traffic along the Danish border.

The reason behind the increased border security is because last Wednesday’s explosions near the Israeli embassy in Copenhagen have now been deemed to be a terror attack. Two young men from Sweden, aged 16 and 19, are now facing terrorism charges. They were arrested at Copenhagen’s main train station shortly after the explosions and were already facing charges for having five hand grenades, two of which were detonated near the Israeli embassy. Both men are known to police in Sweden. A third man was arrested near the scene on Wednesday but he has since been released.

Denmark’s terror threat level remains at 4, the second highest in a five-tier warning system. However, the Danish Intelligence Agency (PET) says the threat level has “intensified” in part due to the ongoing war in Ukraine and now the conflict in the Middle East. PET is also investigating links between the attack in Copenhagen and shots that were fired near the Israeli embassy in Stockholm on the same night. The agency says it is also investigating any possible links to Iran. Swedish media are reporting that Iran may be using a criminal group called the Foxtrot network to reach Israeli targets in the Nordics.