Samsams lawyer held meetings with FE and PET thirteen times. And every time, management was present.
DR-Inland in Denmark
Friday, November 29, 2024 • 1:20 PM UTC - in Denmark
Ahmed Samsam's former lawyer met with staff from the Danish Security and Intelligence Service (FE) and the Police Intelligence Service (PET) a total of 13 times to discuss a potential million-dollar compensation for terror-convict Ahmed Samsam.
This information came to light in the Danish Supreme Court on Friday, where lawyer Thomas Brædder provided an account. In Denmark's highest court, Samsam is attempting to have the security services, whom he has sued, acknowledge that he was their agent.
Thomas Brædder was previously Samsam's lawyer. In 2018, Samsam was sentenced to eight years in prison in Spain for joining a precursor to Islamic State while in Syria in 2012 and 2013.
Sammam himself claims he worked for the Danish security services during these trips. A claim that DR's research confirms.
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Both services were present
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During the hearing, which took place in a nearly packed chamber in the Supreme Court, Thomas Brædder provided a series of details from the numerous meetings where leaders from both FE and PET participated.
- I have only had contact with the leadership team, Thomas Brædder said.
The attorney also revealed that during these meetings, they discussed a compensation for Samsam for what had happened in Spain, estimated to be between three and five million Danish crowns.
Sammam was supposedly required to accept serving his terror sentence in Spain, so that no one would find out publicly that Samsam had been wrongly convicted.
- He was willing to endure the torture, Brædder said. It's a terrible thing, and a terrible thing to accept, he added.
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First before the Land Court, now before the Supreme Court
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In 2023, the case had already been through the Eastern Danish High Court. The court did not take a position on whether there was evidence that Samsam had been an agent.
Instead, the judges concluded that Samsam had not "convincingly shown that he had the opportunity to reopen or similar proceedings in the Spanish case." Therefore, the court did not take a position on whether he was an agent or not.
Now, Samsam is taking the case to the Supreme Court as a last resort.
And this time, he has new evidence in the case that he hopes to use to his advantage.
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He must testify for the first time
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DR News has previously reported (
However, no concrete details emerged about the meetings. The Eastern Danish High Court ruled that Thomas Brædder, as a witness, could not speak about the meetings due to confidentiality obligations.
But the Supreme Court saw things differently.
Friday's hearing was merely a preparatory hearing for the main case, which does not begin until 2025.
The hearing on Friday was set aside for Thomas Brædder and Ahmed Samsam themselves to give testimony. Three Supreme Court justices were present, which is highly unusual.
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'Everything was in the best order'
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In the courtroom, Thomas Brædder also provided detailed information about a meeting in December 2020, when Ahmed Samsam was transferred to Denmark to serve the remainder of his sentence from Spain.
Here, Samsam and the security services met. His former handlers were present.
All greeted each other at the airport. Samsam and the services traveled in the same car, while Brædder traveled in his own.
- And then we drive from the airport area to a place in Dragør, which I'm not 100% sure about where it is, the attorney said.
- I don't know the physical distance, but I get the impression that he is close to me where I am. It's the impression I have. I sit and wait in the car.
Brædder recalls asking for permission to speak with Samsam again and receiving a call.
- He is very, very happy. He tells me that they have provided food and drink for him, and he is incredibly happy and relieved. He feels incredibly well taken care of, the lawyer said.
However, Samsam's mood changed when he was transferred to a secure wing at Vestre Fængsel and no agreement was reached. The whole thing came to nothing, and instead, Samsam officially filed a lawsuit against PET and FE in December 2021 for abandoning him in Spain.
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The case of Ahmed Samsam
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Ahmed Samsam was arrested in Spain in June 2017.
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A year later, he was sentenced to eight years in prison in Spain for fighting for Islamic State in Syria between 2012 and 2014 and for financing terrorism and spreading propaganda.
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According to DR's information, Ahmed Samsam was sent on multiple trips to Syria by the Danish Security and Intelligence Service (PET) and the Danish Military Intelligence Service (FE) with the goal of collecting information about Danish Syrian fighters.
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He had tracking equipment and materials with him on one of these trips.
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Ahmed Samsam is now released after serving his terror sentence. He has filed a civil lawsuit against PET and FE to provide evidence that he worked for them.
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His claims in the case were rejected by the Eastern Danish High Court in November 2023.
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Ahmed Samsam has co-authored a book with journalist Jens Anton Bjørnager called 'Samsam: My Life as a Criminal, Syrian Warrior, and Agent for Denmark.'
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Samsam's lawyer: A good day
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Like most other aspects of the case, the security services have not confirmed that such a meeting took place when Samsam returned to Denmark.
But with a witness testifying under oath, Friday can be described as 'a good day,' according to Samsam's current lawyer, René Offersen.
- It's a clear strengthening of the case, he says.
He emphasizes the significance of Thomas Brædder revealing who participated in the settlement talks.
- We didn't know at what level the security services were involved. It could have been a handler, a vice commissioner, or who knows what. Now we know today that it was only from the leadership. It shows something about the fact that it was serious, and that it was some people who could sign for PET and FE.
PET and FE are represented by the Chamber Advocate, who after Friday's hearing declined to give an interview. However, they maintain that the services cannot confirm or deny whether Samsam worked for them, as it would reveal their methods and put sources at risk.
The main hearing in this case is still not scheduled.
This means that there is no verdict in the case yet.
It is unlikely that there will be a ruling before the spring or summer of next year.
Warning: This article was translated by a Large Language Model, in case of doubt, you can always visit the original source.