Copenhagen - Two Tunisian nationals held on suspicion of planning to murder a Danish newspaper cartoonist were to appeal to the Supreme Court, a lawyer said Tuesday.

Lawyer Henrik Stagetorn, who represents one of the two held since February, wanted the Supreme Court to hear the evidence presented by the Danish security and intelligence service PET, Danish news agency Ritzau reported.

A special panel has to rule if the Supreme Court should hear the case or not.

Last week an appeal court upheld a lower court ruling that the two should remain in custody pending possible deportation to Tunisia.

During the earlier hearings, the PET said the two had monitored cartoonist Kurt Westergaard's home, and that one of them had obtained a handgun. Both men had also watched videos about suicide bombers.

Westergaard's controversial cartoon of the Prophept Mohammed with a bomb in his turban was one of 12 images published in September 2005 by the Jyllands-Posten newspaper. They sparked worldwide violent protests in 2006, and Danish companies were boycotted in many Muslim countries.

Leading Danish newspapers republished the cartoons after the alleged plot was disclosed, saying the move was to protect freedom of speech. (dpa)