Danish National Police may have shot and killed the suspect who killed one 55 year old man and wounded three police officers at a free-speech event in a Copenhagen cafe. A later, second shooting claimed the life of a Jewish man who was shot in the head. The Danish police presser announced the current death toll as two civilians with five police officers wounded - the deadliest single day of attacks in recent Danish history. (#Copenhagen)
“The police are now investigating if the person could be behind the shootings at [the cafe in] Krudttønden and the synagogue in Krystalgade,” police said in a statement in the early hours of Sunday. There will be a press conference at 10am local time
The exchange of fire took place near a train station in the multicultural inner-city neighbourhood of Noerrebro where police had been keeping an address under observation since the cafe attack.
“At one point a person who could be interesting in relation to the investigation arrived at the site,” police said.
After police called out to him “he opened fire against the police and was thereafter shot”, the statement added.
No police officers were injured in the exchange of fire.
http://www.theguardian.com/...
Even after the first shooting at the cafe, the event resumed in order to defy such terrorist intimidation as the French ambassador tweeted.
A report of gunfire exchanged at Copenhagen's main synagogue was announced hours later. It is unclear whether it is connected to the earlier free-speech event shooting. One assumes that the Politiets Aktionsstyrke (AKS) unit is active as part of the Danish National Police (Politet) response as a variety of counter-terrorism entities from France and the US among other countries are consulting with the Danish Security & Intelligence Service (PET).
(Reuters)- One person was shot in the head and two police were wounded in an attack on a synagogue in central Copenhagen, Danish police said, adding that it was too early to say whether the incident was connected to an earlier one at an arts cafe (Krudttoenden Cafe). Danish television station TV2 said a large metro and train station nearby, Norreport, was being evacuated.
locations of the two shootings
At least one man has been killed and three police officers have been wounded after several shots were fired at a cafe in Denmark's capital Copenhagen where a meeting on freedom of speech was being held.
Danish police said late on Saturday that just one attacker was involved in the attack in the city's north. They released a photo of the (Danish-speaking)suspect in a dark jacket and a maroon hat carrying a black bag. Police initially said there were two suspects. The assailant, who remains on the run, reportedly used automatic weapons in carrying out the attack.
surveillance image of the shooter
As of late Saturday, a getaway car (a VW Polo) had been recovered, police said.
Krudttoenden Cafe, which is known for its jazz concerts, was hosting an event titled Art, Blasphemy and the Freedom of Expression when the shots were fired.
The event was organised by Lars Vilks, 68, a Swedish artist who has faced numerous threats for caricaturing Prophet Muhammad in 2007. Police confirmed that he was the target of the attack.
Francois Zimeray, the French ambassador to Denmark, was also in attendance when the event at the Krudttoenden Cafe came under attack. He was not injured.
Helle Thorning-Schmidt, Denmark's prime minister, described the assault as "a terrorist attack". "Denmark has today been hit by a cynical act of violence," he said.
"Everything indicates that the shooting in Osterbro was a political assassination, and thus an act of terrorism."
Christina Marker, reporting for Al Jazeera from Copenhagen, said there is "a massive police presence" in the city and that even before the attack, there "were lots of security around".
Earlier, Denmark's TV2 channel reported that there were about 30 bullet holes in the window of Krudttoenden Cafe, adding that at least two people were taken away on stretchers, including a uniformed police officer.
Helle Merete Brix, one of the organisers of the free-speech event, told the Associated Press news agency that Vilks was present at the event but not injured. When Vilks is in Denmark, he receives police protection. A woman in the US state of Pennsylvania got a 10-year prison term last year for a plot to kill him. In 2010, two brothers tried to burn down Vilks' house in southern Sweden and were imprisoned for attempted arson...
Laurent Fabius, France's foreign minister, condemned what he called a "terrorist attack targeting a public meeting", saying in a statement that France "remains by the side of the Danish authorities and people in the fight against terrorism".
Sun Feb 15, 2015 at 11:38 AM PT:
Local media have named the suspect in the shootings as 22-year-old Omar Abdel Hamid El-Hussein. Police have not confirmed the reports.
Danish national broadcasters TV 2 and DR named the man, with the latter - along with newspaper Ekstra Bladet - reporting that he had recently been released from prison.
The gunman believed to have attacked a Copenhagen synagogue and a free-speech event on Saturday was a Danish-born 22-year-old known to police because of past violence, gang-related activities and possession of weapons, officers have said.