COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Gangs of rioters set fire to cars and garbage trucks in northern Copenhagen on Friday, the sixth night of rioting and vandalism that has spread from the capital to other Danish cities, police said on Saturday.
Five youths were arrested in the capital on Friday after 28cars and 35 garbage trucks were burned, Copenhagen police dutyofficer Jakob Kristensen told Reuters. Several youths werearrested in other Danish towns.
Scores of cars and several schools have been vandalised orburned in the past week. Police could give no reason, but saidthat unusually mild weather and the closure of schools for awinter break, making them easy targets, might have contributed.
Social workers said the reprinting of a two-year-oldcartoon of the Prophet Mohammad in Danish newspapers might havefuelled the riots.
Police arrested two Tunisians and a Dane of Moroccandescent on Tuesday for planning to kill the cartoonist, and 15Danish papers reprinted the drawing on Wednesday in protestagainst the alleged plot to murder him.
Several hundred Muslims gathered in central Copenhagen onFriday to protest against publication of the cartoon. MostMuslims consider depictions of the founder of Islam offensive.
The publication by a Danish newspaper of cartoons ofMohammad two years ago -- including the one reprinted this week-- led to protests and rioting in Muslim countries in which atleast 50 people were killed and three Danish embassiesattacked.
In October police arrested more than 400 people inCopenhagen after demonstrators evicted from a youth centreearlier in the year tried to occupy a new building.
(Reporting by Kim McLaughlin, editing by Tim Pearce)
