Arrest after attack on Danish Prime Minister in Copenhagen

HISTORY: :: File

Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen suffered mild whiplash after being attacked in central Copenhagen on Friday (June 7), her office said in a statement.

::7 June 2024

Her office said on Saturday that Frederiksen was “doing well” but was in shock after the incident and had been taken to hospital as a precaution.

All official Prime Minister’s events scheduled for Saturday have been cancelled.

Danish police said a 39-year-old man would appear before a judge for preliminary questioning in connection with an attack on the prime minister.

Soren Kjergaard, who works at the pitch, told Reuters that Frederiksen had been able to overcome the attack and had no visible injuries.

She was then led away from the crime scene by officers from the Danish National Security and Intelligence Service (PET).

“I saw the Prime Minister sitting at this table with a friend and I think a minute or two later four PET people turned up and talked about an arrest.”

Neither police nor the Prime Minister’s Office commented on the man’s motive or whether he was carrying a weapon.

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

::Handlova, Slovakia

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.

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.