Danish arrests after youth riots

Hundreds of cars have been attacked in the past week

More than 20 people have been arrested in Denmark following eight consecutive nights of youth rioting and vandalism across the country, police say.

They are suspected of setting fire to buildings, schools, cars and rubbish bins in Copenhagen and other cities.

Police say the unrest, which started on 10 February, appears to be subsiding.

It is not clear what triggered the riots. Reports say the youths - mainly with immigrant backgrounds - have been accusing police of harassment.

The violence erupted soon after Danish police introduced their stop-and-search policy, allowing officers to search people at random for weapons.

Some observers say last week's reprinting by Danish newspapers of a cartoon satirising the Prophet Muhammad might have fuelled the riots.

The publication came a day after Denmark's security services arrested three Muslims suspected of plotting to kill one of the cartoonists.