A man arrested on suspicion of planning a terror attack and who was never formally charged in court has received compensation for sitting in custody

A suspect from the Vollsmose terror case in Odense has been awarded 225,000 kroner in compensation after he was arrested on suspicion of plotting a terror attack, but sat in police custody for six months without being formally charged.

Odense district court ruled today that the man is entitled to almost a quarter of a million kroner in compensation from the police.

The court’s decision did not indicated that the man’s arrest had been unwarranted as he had destroyed evidence during police raids and had telephone conversations about jihad.

However, it was deemed that he had spent an unnecessary length of time in custody as he had been questioned only once during his 130 days in isolation.

Lawyers for the man had sought 757,000 kroner in compensation and now have two weeks to consider the verdict.

Fact file | Vollsmose terror case

• December 2005: Danish intelligence service informed that Muslim students in Odense support Al Qaeda
• September 2006: Police arrest nine people in Odense and TATP explosives confiscated
• April 2007: Four formally charged and three later found guilty – two sentenced to 11 years, one to four years. One man found not guilty. The three appeal case to Supreme Court
• April 2008: Supreme Court upholds guilty verdict and increases each sentence by one year