The Copenhagen City Court has acquitted an imam of charges for endorsing Hamas’ attacks on October 7 during a podcast. This case marks the fourth of its kind, with three previous cases resulting in convictions.

The court determined, after just 15 minutes of deliberation, that Imam Mohamad Khani did not explicitly endorse the recent acts of terrorism. Khani, a former imam at the Imam Ali Mosque in Copenhagen, participated in a 56-minute radio program on 24Syv shortly after the attacks. During this program, he discussed topics such as Israel’s occupation and the suffering of Palestinians.

The prosecution had accused Khani of violating the penal code, which prohibits public endorsement of terrorist acts. Special prosecutor Søren Harbo sought a prison sentence between six and nine months, while defense attorney Tyge Trier argued that the charges compiled various statements that could not be equated with past rulings.

The court acknowledged that the October 7 attack could indeed be classified as terrorism but found no evidence that Khani explicitly lauded the violent acts. In the podcast, Khani himself stated that there was no reason to celebrate civilian casualties.

This decision is part of a broader investigation into approximately 150 alleged instances of endorsing the terrorist attack. So far, charges have been filed in 13 of these cases, while 36 others will not lead to trials, according to Deputy State Prosecutor Charlotte Alsing Juul.

The prosecution may choose to appeal the ruling to the Eastern High Court (Østre Landsret). Defense attorney Tyge Trier emphasized that a conviction would infringe upon Khani’s freedom of speech, while the prosecutor argued that Khani’s remarks indirectly legitimized Hamas’ attacks.