InfoAnda - 'Quiet' Copenhagen cracks down on deadly gang war

Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case
Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They

Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival
Thursday, August 6, 2009

AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e

Merkel's support dips, regional ally resigns International
Thursday, September 3, 2009

By Sarah Marsh and Noah Barkin

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German

Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who

Asian markets mixed after Wall Street rally
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an

Syrian forces kill seven civilians in rural attack: activists | | 13 May 2012
January death rate signal of tough year in Afghan war | 31 January 2010
U.S. denies knowledge of prosecution of ousted Pakistani envoy | 24 November 2011

Afghan conference calls for talks with militants | 4 June 2010

">Forum Views () ">Forum Replies ()

Read more with google mobile : 'Quiet' Copenhagen cracks down on deadly gang war

Yahoo! My Yahoo! Mail Yahoo! Search Search: Sign InNew User? Sign Up News Home - Help Navigation Primary Navigation Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Top Stories Most Popular Secondary Navigation Asia Pacific World Search Search: 'Quiet' Copenhagen cracks down on deadly gang war AFP - Saturday, April 25 COPENHAGEN (AFP) - - A grenade tossed into a cafe, gunfire in the street, dead bodies splayed on the pavement, residents living in fear -- all sounds out of sync with the medieval cobbled streets and copper roofs of the Danish capital. But a bloody gang war between bikers and youths of immigrant origin has shattered Copenhagen's customary calm and jolted officials to boost action against violence that has left three dead and 17 wounded in seven months. Two more attacks this week -- one Friday using a hand grenade -- heightened alarm, even if police would not immediately link them to gangs. "We won't accept this settling of scores between gangs that is frightening the population," Anders Fogh Rasmussen said earlier this month before stepping down as prime minister to become NATO secretary general. Officials, he vowed, would "take all necessary means to halt the escalating violence," as Copenhagen's police chief promised to use "Al Capone-like tactics" to go after the gangs. The battle over drug sales, revenge and wounded honour pits Hells Angels bikers and their offshoot called AK81 against gangs of mainly second and third-generation immigrant youths. The long-simmering conflict exploded into full-blown war last August, after a 19-year-old man of Turkish origin named Osam Nuri Dogan, who was armed and wearing a bullet-proof vest, was executed on the street. His body was riddled with 25 bullets in front of a Copenhagen pizza parlour. A member of AK81 suspected of the killing was arrested but quickly released for lack of evidence. Since then, violent acts of retaliation have become almost a daily occurrence in the capital -- and raised concern of fueling anti-immigrant sentiment in a country long skeptical of Muslims where tightening immigration has been the cornerstone of government policy. Early Friday, an unknown assailant launched a grenade at a packed cafe patronized by bikers in Christiania, Copenhagen's giant squat and repair of free spirits and marginals since the 1970s. Four were wounded, including a 22-year-old man whose cheek was ripped out by the blast. "It was an odious attack... and a miracle that no one was killed," a city deputy police commissioner, Boris Jensen, told AFP. It came a week after another attack in Christiania in which an AK81 member shot and seriously wounded a 30-year-old man in the stomach. Tabloids said it was gangs settling scores but police, again, would not confirm this. The majority of attacks -- including one Wednesday in which police said "two men on a motorcycle" shot and wounded a 29-year-old man of Egyptian-Eritrean descent -- have occurred in the heavily immigrant Noerrebro neighborhood. The sound of gunfire there has become all too common but residents were shocked out of complacency two months ago when three separate shootings in as many days killed two people with no links to gangs and wounded four others. Protesters dressed in mourning as for a funeral have repeatedly marched through the capital demanding a "gun-free zone" in Noerrebro so people can take a walk "without worrying about being killed by a stray bullet". Rasmussen personally visited a Noerrebro school in early April to try to calm nerves. "You shouldn't have to have a knot of fear in your stomach when you go outside," he told a worried 16-year-old. Police have dramatically increased their presence in trouble zones. Parliament, meanwhile, has scheduled a major hearing on the gang war on April 29 and the justice ministry is preparing a draft law to bolster legal action. The bill, which parliament is expected to approve before summer recess, will "lead to a doubling of penalties for certain types of serious crimes committed in connection with the retaliatory attacks between gangs," said Justice Minister Brian Mikkelsen. It would also dramatically increase jail time for possession of illegal weapons and give police more leeway in tapping phones and holding suspects in custody. "We will give them no peace," Copenhagen chief police inspector Per Larsen told AFP, saying more than 200 illegal weapons had been seized from gang members in recent months. "We're going to be after them, put pressure on them, use Al Capone-like tactics and cooperate with the tax authorities to stop their illegal sources of financing, which have been keeping this war going," he said. The attacks have raised the spectre of a repeat of a gang war that raged in the 1990s, which left 11 people dead. "The gangs have recruited a lot in recent months," said Copenhagen police chief Jens Henrik Hoejbjerg. He said nearly 80 different groups of bikers and immigrant-origin youths, or a total of 944 people, have been under police surveillance, though he said the city's true number of gang members -- most of them bikers -- was probably closer to 1,500. Already in 2008, at least 76 of the 167 shootings registered in Denmark, mainly in Copenhagen, were directly linked to gangs. A year earlier, the Scandinavian country had only 28 shootings, under half of which were attributed to gangs. Some fear the gang violence could fan racial hostility, as a March 11 YouGov Zapera poll showed that 74 percent of Danes felt "immigrants" were primarily responsible for the gang wars. "This is no longer just a conflict about money and power but ... between those who feel profound hatred towards 'immigrants' and those who feel the same way towards 'racists'," Michael Hviid Jacobsen, a criminologist at the University of Aalborg, told AFP. And this "explains the ease with which the two sides have been recruiting," he said. Jacobsen partly blames politicians and the media, saying they tend to use the term "immigrant" for anti-biker gang members even though most are Danish-born from families who immigrated two or three generations ago. Others point the finger at police. "The police only focus on the darkies as if we were responsible for everything," Hassan, a Noerrebro teenager who refused to give his last name, told AFP. Police roundly reject the accusation. "It's absurd. We don't discriminate," said chief police inspector Larsen. "We are also putting pressure on the bikers, searching them too. "Our goal is to end this war, that's all," he said. Email Story IM Story Printable View Blog This Recommend this article 0 users recommend Sign in to recommend this article » Most Recommended Stories » Related Articles: Entertainment & Lifestyle Rob Thomas readies new albumReuters - 30 minutes ago "Gossip Girl" star Meester signs record dealReuters - Saturday, April 25 'Lost' actor and ABC face sex harassment claimAP - Saturday, April 25 Rihanna seeking return of pricey jewelryAP - Saturday, April 25 'Secret' Stone lawsuit was routine fees matterAP - Saturday, April 25 Enlarge Photo Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen (R) walks in the immigrant-dominated neighborhood of Noerrebro in Copenhagen, where police are cracking down on a deadly Copenhagen gang war, pitting for the last seven months Hells Angels bikers, their support group AK81 and youths of immigrant origin. Most Popular – Entertainment Viewed Downturn hits Elton John, Paul McCartney Tigers resisting calls to surrender: S.Lanka military Fertility doctor on brink of cloning human: report Albino buffalo a first for Kenya Charred meat linked to pancreatic cancer risk View Complete List » Search: Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Top Stories Most Popular Copyright © 2009 Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte Ltd. (Co. Reg. No. 199700735D). All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - Community - Intellectual Property Rights Policy - Help

Other News on Saturday, 25 April 2009
U.S. weighs Zimbabwe reform pace, no aid yet | International |
Poor countries pushed into danger zone: World Bank | International |
U.N. council to Sri Lanka: Let U.N. into conflict zone | International |
Two die in new violence in Madagascar capital: reports | International |
NATO extends anti-piracy mission off Somalia | International |
Conficker virus begins to attack PCs: experts | Technology |
Facebook surfing while sick costs Swiss woman job | Technology |
Blagojevich still hopes for a part in TV show | Entertainment |
Meryl Streep to be honored at Rome film festival | Entertainment |
Cyndi Lauper shares screen with husband | Entertainment |
Cocteau memorabilia up for auction in Paris | Entertainment |
Beyonce says definitely wants Broadway role | Entertainment |
Clinton makes surprise visit to Iraq
Female suicide attackers kill 58 near Baghdad shrine
U.N. council to Sri Lanka: Let U.N. into conflict zone | International |
60 killed in double bombing at Iraqi shrine
US stars rake in funds for fight on malaria
India presses for Sri Lanka truce as casualties rise | International |
Sixty die in Iraq shrine attack
Chrysler reaches agreement with Canada union workers
Canadian soldier found dead in Afghanistan
Group of Seven sees crisis begin to unwind by year-end
Baghdad shrine attack kills 55
Economic activity to pick up this year: G7
Major attacks in Iraq since Jan. 1
'Gaps' remain as G8-led climate talks move towards global pact
Ford sees light at end of tunnel
Tsunami aid often bypassed conflict victims: report | International |
Albino buffalo a first for Kenya
U.N. committee puts 3 North Korea firms on blacklist | International |
New momentum for global climate pact despite 'gaps'
Gore pleads for unity on climate, despite divide
'Gaps' remain as G8-led climate talks move towards global pact
Dalai Lama: Economic crisis teaches money's limits
Concern grows in Mexico, US over killer flu
Murder brings scrutiny to fast-growing Craigslist
Microsoft to release version of Windows 7 next week | Technology |
Northern Mariana Islands official convicted
Twitter a global sensation: Hitwise
Lost laptops cost companies dearly: study
Plane diverted to Boston after man rushes cockpit
Cell phone vital, air conditioning not so much | Technology |
Latin American banks look to mobiles to battle crisis
Murder brings scrutiny to fast-growing Craigslist | Technology |
US military told torture yields 'unreliable' info
Cell phone vital, air conditioning not so much
DVD software backups challenged in U.S. court | Technology |
EU's Barroso says he has Sarkozy's support to stay
NYC Heath Department: 75 kids sickened at 1 school
Facebook democracy debuts to low voter turnout
NYC house explosion shakes block; 1 dead, 6 hurt
Medvedev sacks military intelligence chief
Former Facebook executive named MySpace CEO
Penniless German couple abandoned their children
Finance leaders want cooperation to end recession
Finland allocates new 4G mobile frequencies
Estonia plans broadband for all by 2015: report
BULLETIN KILL
Facebook surfing while sick costs Swiss woman job
Lost laptops cost companies dearly: study
Bus-truck crash in China's southwest kills 18
Wounded Thai protest leader discharged
UN humanitarian chief to press Sri Lanka on civilians
Chronology of NKorea's nuclear, missile programs
Simon Cowell to Susan Boyle: Get yourself together | Entertainment |
Taliban withdraw from Pakistan's Buner: officials
Fox faces uncertainty over fate of Idol judges | Entertainment |
US aid threatened by missile range row: ambassador
Taiwan envoy heads to China for talks
NKorea restarts nuclear programme
Thai 'Yellow Shirt' protest founder leaves hospital
HK university students oust union president
Forbes names Madonna Hollywood's hardest working mom
Japanese banks Shinsei, Aozora in merger talks
Forbes names Madonna Hollywood's hardest working mom | Entertainment |
MSFG wins priority in talks to buy Nikko
Pakistani c.bank buys 32.75 bln rupees of T-bills
China bans foreign firms from express mail market
Reports: Sumitomo likely to buy Japan Citigroup
'Quiet' Copenhagen cracks down on deadly gang war
China Construction Bank 1Q profit down 18 percent
Torrent of bitterness on the Turkey-Armenia border
G7 hails China's crisis actions, pledges support
US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary
China buys half interest in Kazakh energy company
"Gossip Girl" star Meester signs record deal
World finance chiefs discuss crisis amid recovery signs
'Lost' actor and ABC face sex harassment claim
Toshiba says to cut British jobs, focus on Poland
Late night TV host Jay Leno released from hospital | Entertainment |
Rihanna seeking return of pricey jewelry
Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp to tour | Entertainment |
'Secret' Stone lawsuit was routine fees matter
Rob Thomas readies new album | Entertainment |
Nas says Grammy nod shows he's on right track
Page Not Found |
Simon Cowell to Susan Boyle: "Get yourself together"
Americans battle their bulge on TV dance show | Entertainment |
Fox faces uncertainty over fate of "Idol" judges
DVD software backups challenged in U.S. court | Entertainment |
Iran hits at U.S., Clinton sees progress in Iraq | International |
3 arrested in Lebanon on Israel spy charges
North Korea begins extracting plutonium | International |
Triple suicide attack kills five Afghan police
Flux in Pakistani valley after Taliban retreat | International |
Toyota's Trulli on pole for Bahrain Grand Prix
5 Palestinians injured in West Bank clash
South Africa's ANC wins huge poll victory | International |
Turkey objects to Obama's view of Armenian killings | International |
No going back on Zimbabwe unity government: Tsvangirai | International |
India says Pakistan still aiding Kashmir rebels | International |
U.N. dispatches top humanitarian to Sri Lanka | International |
Thaksin red shirts gather again in Bangkok | International |
Drilling drives a wedge at climate change summit
Somali pirates seize German vessel, crew unhurt | International |
Protesters, police clash near IMF meetings in DC
WHO chief calls swine flu outbreak 'serious'
Obama: Give me ideas on tightening federal belt
Quotes from Obama's first 100 days
Key events in Obama's first 100 days
100 days of Obama: Energy aplenty, no miracles
A glance at states covered by Voting Rights Act
High court test for voting rights in Texas case
Independent streak flashed by newest Democrats
Clinton says US will back Iraq after troop pullout
Thai protesters hold new rally in Bangkok
India says Pakistan helped Kashmir rebels
Fear a high school reunion? Hire a stripper | Entertainment |
UN humanitarian chief to press Sri Lanka
Thaksin "red shirts" gather again in Bangkok
Asia protests, Beijing quiet on Falungong anniversary
India says Pakistan still aiding Kashmir rebels
A look at North Korea's nuclear program
Profit at top Chinese state firms down 42 percent
Asia takes precautions after swine flu outbreak
North Korea begins extracting plutonium
Newspaper columnist takes stage in The Soloist | Entertainment |
UN humanitarian chief: Sri Lanka situation 'dire'
Fear a high school reunion? Hire a stripper
Newspaper columnist takes stage in "The Soloist"
Guests for the Sunday TV news shows
Rob Thomas readies new album
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights

USD EUR - 1 year graph		BlogMeter 1.01