Police kill man believed behind 2 shootings in Copenhagen

A picture released by Copenhagen police, taken from a street camera, shows the suspect in the shooting incident. -AP

Copenhagen - Danish police shot and killed a man early on Sunday suspected of carrying out shooting attacks at a free speech event and then at a Copenhagen synagogue, killing two men, including a member of Denmark’s Jewish community. Five police officers were also wounded in the attacks.

Officials have not identified the perpetrator but say it is possible he was imitating the terror attacks last month in Paris in which militants carried out a massacre at the Charlie Hebdo newsroom followed by an attack on Jews at a kosher grocery store.

“Denmark has been hit by terror,” Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt said on Sunday. “We do not know the motive for the alleged perpetrator’s actions, but we know that there are forces that want to hurt Denmark. The want to rebuke our freedom of speech.”

Denmark’s Jewish Community identified the Jewish victims as 37-year-old Dan Uzan. He was guarding a building behind the synagogue during a bar mitzvah when he was shot in the head and killed. Two police officers who were there were slightly wounded.

Police officers take cover behind their patrol cars on the streets of central Copenhagen after the shooting incident in Krystalgade, a street that is home to Copenhagen's main synagogue. -AFP

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decried the attack and said his government plans to encourage a “massive immigration” of Jews from Europe.

“Again, Jews were murdered on European soil just because they were Jews,” Netanyahu said at the start of his Cabinet meeting on Sunday. “This wave of attacks is expected to continue, as well as murderous anti-Semitic attacks. Jews deserve security in every country, but we say to our Jewish brothers and sisters, Israel is your home.”

The first shooting happened before 4pm on Saturday when police said a gunman used an automatic weapon to shoot through the windows of the Krudttoenden cultural centre during a panel discussion on freedom of expression featuring a Swedish artist who had caricatured the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him). The artist, Lars Vilks, was whisked away unharmed by his bodyguards but a 55-year-old man attending the event was killed, while three police officers were wounded, authorities said.

After midnight on Sunday, the Jewish man was killed and two police officers were wounded in the second shooting outside the synagogue.

Skov said the shooter was confronted by police as he returned to an address that they were keeping under surveillance. Investigators described him as 25 to 30 years old with an athletic build and carrying a black automatic weapon. They released a blurred photograph of the suspect wearing dark clothes and a scarf covering part of his face.

Vilks, a 68-year-old artist, said he believed he was the intended target of the first shooting, which happened at a panel discussion titled “Art, blasphemy and freedom of expression.”

“What other motive could there be? It’s possible it was inspired by Charlie Hebdo,” he said, referring to the January 7 attack by extremists on the French newspaper.

Police said it was possible the gunman had planned the “same scenario” as in the Charlie Hebdo massacre.

Leaders across Europe condemned the violence and expressed support for Denmark. Sweden’s security service said it was sharing information with its Danish counterpart, while US National Security Council spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan said US officials were ready to help with the investigation and have been in touch with their Danish counterparts.

While many Muslims have expressed disgust at the deadly assault on the Charlie Hebdo employees, many were also deeply offended by its cartoons lampooning Prophet Muhammad.