38-year-old Iraqi-Kurd Shawan Sadek Saeed Bujak, Uzbek David Jakobsen, 33, and alleged Uighur (China) mastermind 40-year-old Mikael Davud, pleaded not guilty to planning an assault using explosives on Danish paper Jyllands-Posten at today’s opening of their trial in Oslo District Court.

All also denied their guilt relating to charges of trying to obtain bomb ingredients, as well as plotting to assassinate Danish cartoonist and author of the contentious Prophet Mohammed caricatures, Kurt Westergaard.

Police Security Service (PST) officials arrested now indicted Bujak, Jakobsen, and Davud  in Norway and Germany last year on suspicion of planning to blow up the Chinese Embassy in Oslo.

The case is also believed to be connected with plans to bomb a New York subway and a shopping mall in Manchester, UK, in 2009.

According to NRK, Prosecutor Geir Evanger said today that, “There is no doubt that David Jakobsen ordered hydrogen peroxide at a pharmacy on Jernbanetorget [in Oslo] on 02 September 2009. There is [also] no doubt that this can be used to make explosives.”

“He picked it up on 04 September, and the bottle was handed over to Mikael Davud in his Oslo apartment the same evening. However, police had already replaced the contents of the bottle contents with something harmless,” he continued.

All three men also have suspected links with al-Qaida. Officials believe Mr Davud had travelled to Pakistan and was trained by the extremist group how to make explosives, as well as agreeing he would commit acts of terror.

“He made a deal with Bujak and Jakobsen to hit Jyllands-Posten’s offices when he came back to Norway,” alleged Geir Evanger.

Mr Bujak’s lawyer, Arvid Sjødin, said his client claims he “has never taken part in any kind of terror action, or ever expressed a wish to participate in something of this kind. There are differences between police and prosecuting authorities’ interpretations of his statements made under questioning, and how he looks upon them himself.”

Admitting in court he wishes the death of Mr Westergaard, Mr Bujak alleges, however, he would never carry out anything to cause it. "I'm just expressing it verbally," he says. 

Meanwhile, Mr Davud has since said his motives for planning to blow up the Chinese Embassy were personal, saying he used his co-defendants who were unaware of his plans, the broadcaster reports.

US Oslo Embassy Ambassador Barry B. White has sharply criticised Norwegian polices’ apparent slowness in their investigations, which have included extensive surveillance and examinations of several PCs.

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