Copenhagen - A Danish district court on Tuesday convicted two men of planning a terror attack and manufacturing explosives.

The two, aged 22 and 21, were arrested in September 2007 in Copenhagen.

During the proceedings it emerged that the Danish security intelligence service (PET) had kept them under surveillance for several months.

The PET had been tipped off that the older suspect had visited an alleged al-Qaeda camp in Pakistan and installed a secret camera in his flat. The men's phone conversations were also tapped.

Police also seized a hand-written manual that bomb experts said described how to make explosives.

The men allegedly tried to make the explosive triacetone triperoxide (TATP).

The men have denied trying to make bombs but said they were trying to make fireworks.

Sentencing in the case was pending. The prosecution called for sentences of at least 12 years for each of the two.

The two were arrested with six other suspects in Copenhagen in September 2007 when the PET raided several locations in and around the capital. The other six were later released. (dpa)