COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A Danish court convicted two Swedes of terrorism and attempted murder for detonating two hand grenades near the Israeli embassy in Copenhagen in October 2024.
The Copenhagen City Court sentenced the younger of the two men, aged 18, to 12 years in prison, and the older, aged 21, to 14 years in prison, according to Swedish news agency TT. They were said to be acting on behalf of a criminal gang.
In the early hours of Oct. 2, 2024, the pair threw two hand grenades in the direction of the Israeli embassy in the Danish capital. The devices did not reach their target but instead detonated on the terrace of a residential building nearby, inhabited by a family with children. Nobody was injured.
The explosions happened about 100 meters (109 yards) from the embassy, which is located in an area with other embassies, the local police said at the time. Copenhagen’s Jewish school, Carolineskolen, is located down the street from the embassy, but it was closed at the time of the attack.
The two men admitted to throwing the grenades but said they did it for money and denied being ideologically motivated to attack an Israeli institution.
The Danish court disagreed on whether the two should be convicted of terrorism, according to TT. Two judges and four jurors concluded that the Swedes were guilty of terrorism, while one judge and two jurors disagreed.
The younger of the two men is also facing charges in Sweden for an attack on the Israeli embassy in Stockholm, just one day before the Danish attack, according to TT. The older also faces criminal charges in connection with another attack in Sweden.
Lawyers for the two men said they would appeal the verdicts, which include deportation to Sweden in addition to the prison sentences.
Sweden has grappled with gang violence for years. Criminal gangs often recruit teenagers in socially disadvantaged immigrant neighborhoods to carry out hits. Two main gangs — the Foxtrot network and its rival Rumba — have been involved in deadly feuds.
Soeren Harbo, special prosecutor at Copenhagen Police, arrives at Copenhagen City Court on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026, where the Copenhagen City Court is expected to deliver a verdict in the criminal case against two Swedish citizens accused of terrorism and attempted terrorism by throwing hand grenades at the Israeli embassy in Hellerup in October 2024. (Thomas Traasdahl/Ritzau Scanpix via AP)
FILE - A police vehicle is seen near the Israeli embassy in Copenhagen, as police investigate two explosions near the site, on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. (Emil Helms/Ritzau Scanpix via AP, File)
Speedskater Erin Jackson already has made history, as the first Black woman to win an individual gold medal at a Winter Olympics. Bobsledder Frank Del Duca is a sergeant in the Army, hailing from a family with deep Italian roots.
They might be the perfect pair to lead the U.S. into the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
Jackson, 33, and Del Duca, 34, were selected by a group of their fellow Olympians as the U.S. flagbearers for Friday night’s opening ceremony of the Milan Cortina Games. Jackson will become the eighth U.S. speedskater to carry the flag into an Olympics, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee said, while Del Duca will be the first bobsledder to carry the flag into an opening in 70 years.
“Being chosen to represent the United States on the world stage is a tremendous honor,” Jackson said in a statement Tuesday from the USOPC. “It’s a moment that reflects far more than one individual — it represents my family, my teammates, my hometown, and everyone across the country who believes in the power of sport. The Olympics remind us of the power of sport to connect and inspire, and I’m proud to carry that forward on the Olympic stage.”
It will be an unusual opening ceremony, given that these are the most spread-out Olympics ever. The main ceremony is in Milan; there will be other ceremonies and athlete parades in the Italian cities of Predazzo, Livigno and Cortina d’Ampezzo.
And for Del Duca, the top U.S. bobsled pilot in both two- and four-man racing, an already-special Olympic opportunity in his family’s homeland just got even more significant. He said Tuesday that he was surprised by the flagbearer nod.
“I grew up with a lot of Italian and Italian-American influence in my life,” Del Duca said in an interview with The Associated Press last month. “Three out of my four grandparents were Italian. My name is Frank Joseph Del Duca IV. It’s not the most Italian name, but it’s clearly Italian.
“I grew up on the food. I grew up in that Italian American culture. So much of my life has been Italian American, which is not the same as Italian, but we’re very proud of our ancestry.”
U.S. bobsledder Elana Meyers Taylor was picked to carry the American flag at the 2022 Beijing Olympics but tested positive for COVID-19 — forcing the postponement of her flag-carrying chance until the closing ceremony of those games. She was replaced at the Beijing opening by speedskater Brittany Bowe, and this time, it’s Jackson’s turn to have that moment.
Del Duca was fourth in both two- and four-man at last season’s world championships on his home track in Lake Placid, New York. He made his Olympic debut at Beijing four years ago, finishing 13th in both races.
Now, he wears his country’s colors in the Olympics again. That means the world to any athlete. It’s especially significant to Del Duca as a member of the Army — and even more so, he insists, with these games in his family’s homeland.
“It means a lot. It really does. It means a lot,” Del Duca said. “It would be cool anywhere, but the fact that it’s in Italy, I think our family is just that much more excited. My grandparents are no longer around, but they always rooted for Italy and the U.S. And they said the perfect day would be the Italians and the Americans tying for gold. So, yes, this is cool. It’s a cool opportunity.”
AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
FILE - Gold Medalist Erin Jackson of the United States celebrates during the medal ceremony for the speedskating women's 500-meter race at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Monday, Feb. 14, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, file)
FILE -Frank del Duca, Joshua Williamson, Boone Niederhofer and Bryce Cheek, of the United States, compete in the 4-man bobsleigh race at the Bobsleigh World Cup in Innsbruck, Austria, Nov. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader, File)
FILE -Frank del Duca, pilot of the fourth-place United States team, waves to fans after the 4-man bobsled event at the bobsled world championships, March 15, 2025, in Lake Placid, N.Y. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
FILE - Erin Jackson of the United States hoists an American flag after winning the gold medal in the speedskating women's 500-meter race at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Sunday, Feb. 13, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, file)
