Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen attacked by man in Copenhagen

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was attacked on Friday in the capital Copenhagen by a man who has since been arrested, her office said in a statement to CNN.

“Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was beaten by a man on the Kultorvet (public square) in Copenhagen on Friday evening. The man was subsequently arrested,” the Prime Minister’s office said.

Frederiksen was “shocked by the incident,” it said. There were no further comments. It is unclear whether the prime minister was injured in the attack.

Danish Environment Minister Magnus Heunicke called for national unity after the attack, saying everyone had a responsibility to look after each other, regardless of “political differences of opinion and election campaigns.”

“Something like this must not happen in our beautiful, safe and free country,” he said on X. “This is ugly and unacceptable. Let’s show that Denmark is much better.”

European politicians expressed shock after the attack.

“Deeply shocked by the outrageous attack on my colleague and friend, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen,” said Latvian Prime Minister Evika Siliņa in a post on X.

“Our thoughts are with you and your loved ones. We wish you a speedy recovery,” she added.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned the attack, calling it a “despicable act that goes against everything we believe in and fight for in Europe.” She wished the prime minister strength and courage, saying she had plenty of it.

The European Union elections will take place in Denmark on Sunday.

Frederiksen, the leader of the centre-left Socialist Democratic Party of Denmark, has been prime minister since 2019.

Their attack came weeks after Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot and injured. It was the first major assassination attempt on a European politician in more than 20 years. Political analysts and politicians said at the time that it reflected an increasingly febrile and polarized political climate both in Slovakia and across Europe.

This story has been updated with further developments.

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