A Danish court has sentenced four men to 12 years in prison each for plotting a gun attack on a newspaper in revenge for its 2005 publication of cartoons purporting to portray the Prophet Muhammad.
The authorities have described the planned attack as the most serious terrorist plot ever uncovered in Denmark.
The men, three Swedish citizens and a Tunisian, were arrested in December 2010, just hours before the alleged attack was to take place.
The men had pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The court in Glostrup, near Copenhagen, on June 4 also ordered the men to be expelled from Denmark after they serve their sentences.
Prosecutors said the men had intended to cause heavy loss of life by opening fire on the offices of the "Jyllands-Posten" newspaper the same day that Crown Prince Frederik was due to visit the paper's building in Copenhagen.
Many Muslims were offended by the Muhammad cartoons, and deadly violence and embassy assaults accompanied some protests around the world.
Critics say the drawings violate an Islamic tenet that bans the portrayal of Muhammad's image.
The authorities have described the planned attack as the most serious terrorist plot ever uncovered in Denmark.
The men, three Swedish citizens and a Tunisian, were arrested in December 2010, just hours before the alleged attack was to take place.
The men had pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The court in Glostrup, near Copenhagen, on June 4 also ordered the men to be expelled from Denmark after they serve their sentences.
Prosecutors said the men had intended to cause heavy loss of life by opening fire on the offices of the "Jyllands-Posten" newspaper the same day that Crown Prince Frederik was due to visit the paper's building in Copenhagen.
Many Muslims were offended by the Muhammad cartoons, and deadly violence and embassy assaults accompanied some protests around the world.
Critics say the drawings violate an Islamic tenet that bans the portrayal of Muhammad's image.