Attack on Danish Prime Minister in Copenhagen, man arrested

Stockholm, 8 June: Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was attacked by a man in downtown Copenhagen on Friday evening.

The attack, which took place in a square not far from Frederiksen’s house, “shocked” the Prime Minister.

Copenhagen police confirmed the incident but declined to provide further information, Swedish television (SVT) reported.

“Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was beaten by a man in Kultorvet in Copenhagen on Friday evening, who was subsequently arrested. The Prime Minister is shocked by the incident,” the Prime Minister’s office was quoted as saying by the BBC.

The attacker was arrested following the incident. However, his identity and the motive for the attack are not yet known.

The attack occurred two days before the EU elections in Denmark.

Frederiksen (46) became prime minister in 2019 after taking over the leadership of the centre-left Social Democrats four years earlier, making her the youngest prime minister in Danish history.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described the attack as a “despicable act”.

European Council President Charles Michel said on X that he was “outraged”. “I condemn in the strongest possible terms this cowardly act of aggression,” he said.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Foreign Minister Tobias Billström also condemned the attack.