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.
Danish media said arrests in other towns brought to 29 thenumber of people police were holding.
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 might have contributed.
Police arrested two Tunisians and a Dane of Moroccandescent on Tuesday for planning to kill a cartoonist who drewone of the cartoons printed in a Danish newspaper two years agothat roused a storm of protest in Muslim countries.
Fifteen Danish newspapers reprinted his drawing onWednesday in protest against the alleged murder plot.
Several hundred Muslims gathered in central Copenhagen onFriday to protest against publication of the cartoon. MostMuslims consider depictions of the founder of Islam offensive.
Social workers said the arrests, the reprinting of thecartoon and protests against its appearance might have fuelledthe riots.
Publication of the cartoons two years ago led to protestsand rioting in Muslim countries in which at least 50 peoplewere killed and three Danish embassies attacked.
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)
