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Danish police said Monday they have arrested two people on suspicion of aiding a gunman in deadly attacks during the weekend on a synagogue and an event promoting free speech, violence that has shocked a nation proud of its reputation for safety and openness.
The gunman opened fire on a Copenhagen café hosting a free speech debate Saturday, killing one, and later attacked a synagogue, killing a guard. The 22-year-old suspect was later shot dead by police in his neighborhood of Norrebro, a poor and largely immigrant part of the city with a reputation for gang violence.
The café event was attended by Swedish artist Lars Vilks, who has received death threats for his drawings of the Prophet Mohammad, and by French Ambassador Francois Zimeray, who likened the shootings to the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris. Vilks and Zimeray were both unharmed.
The two men arrested over the weekend are “suspected of helping the perpetrator by giving him advice and assistance in connection with the shootings at Krudttøndenre and Krystalgade," police said in a statement issued Monday, referring to the locations of the attacks.
A Copenhagen judge later remanded the two suspects to 10 days’ detention.
The killings shocked Danes, who pride themselves on a welcoming and safe society, and fed into a national debate about the role of immigrants. The populist Danish People’s Party, which campaigned against the building of a mosque, has strong support in the polls.
Denmark became a target 10 years ago after the publication of cartoons lampooning the Prophet Muhammad, images that led to sometimes-violent protests in other countries.
The detention of possible accomplices may heighten fears that this was not just an attack by a lone shooter, but possibly backed by a more organized group of marginalized youths radicalized by time in jail or unemployment.
There was no suggestion that foreign groups played a role, however.
"We're not talking about a fighter who has been abroad in Syria or Iraq. We are talking about a man who was known to the police due to his gang activities, criminal activities inside Denmark," Foreign Minister Martin Lidegaard told the BBC.
So far there has been no claim of responsibility from any radical groups, and no videos or statements from the killer. Police have said the man was known to them due to his past criminal activities.
Norrebro, where the suspected gunman lived, mixes housing estates and seedy bars with bicycle paths and gardens. However, as house prices in Copenhagen have ballooned, many young professionals have also made the area their home and it now hosts trendy music venues and at least one Michelin-starred restaurant.
Memorial services will be staged across several cities on Monday evening and flags were flying at half-staff.
The attacks dominated the local media, with questions raised about whether Denmark should tighten its security measures. Even before the attacks, parliament held an initial debate on whether to pass a law that would allow authorities to confiscate the passports of radicalized youths wanting to travel to the Middle East.
"I feel very sad. And mostly, I am sad because of all the hatred it causes afterwards," commuter Nini Jepersen told Reuters at Copenhagen's central station. "I hope we will all remember, we are all human and religion is not the cause of anything like this."
Reuters
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