Man who attacked Danish Prime Minister sentenced to 12 days in prison

Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen delivers her Constitution Day speech during the Parliament’s Constitution celebrations at the Landsting Hall in Copenhagen, Denmark, June 5, 2024. (Mads Claus Rasmussen/ Ritzau Scanpix/ via REUTERS)

COPENHAGEN – A 39-year-old man who attacked Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in Copenhagen on Friday, injuring her neck, was sentenced to 12 days in prison on Saturday, Danish police said.

The attack occurred on Friday in a city centre square when a man approached the prime minister and hit her.

Frederiksen’s office said the politician was “shocked” by the incident and suffered mild whiplash.

All of the prime minister’s official events scheduled for Saturday have been cancelled, her office added on Saturday.

The attack occurred two days before the European Union elections in Denmark.

A month ago, three German politicians were the victims of attacks in the run-up to the European elections and the state elections, and further attacks followed earlier this week.

Frederiksen was able to walk and showed no external signs of injury after the attack, Soren Kjergaard, an employee at a local cafe, told Reuters after seeing her being led away by security staff.

Copenhagen police said they do not believe the man’s actions, which he denies any wrongdoing, were politically motivated.

“Given the fact that the defendant has no connection to Denmark, there is a risk of him fleeing,” said the judge of the Copenhagen City Court, justifying the prison sentence, according to broadcaster DR, among other things.

Several EU heads of state and government condemned the incident, which came just three weeks after the assassination attempt on Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico left him seriously injured.

“My good friend and Danish colleague Mette Frederiksen was attacked in the street in Copenhagen last night. This is completely unacceptable and an attack on our open, democratic societies,” Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere told the NTB news agency.

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, wrote on X on Friday:

“I was so shocked to hear of the attack on you this evening. I condemn this heinous act, which goes against everything we believe in and fight for in Europe. I wish you strength and courage – I know you have both in abundance.”

Reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen, Stine Jacobsen and Louise Rasmussen, additional reporting by Gwladys Fouche in Oslo; Editor: Tomasz Janowski