Copenhagen attacks suspect killed, say police

Danish policeshot and killed a man in Copenhagen on Sunday they believe was responsible for two deadly attacks at an event promoting freedom of speech and on a synagogue.

The prime minister described the first shooting, which bore similarities to an assault in Paris in January on the office of weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo, as a terrorist attack.

Two civilians died in Saturday's attacks and five police were wounded.

One man died in the first shooting, in a cafe hosting Swedish artist Lars Vilks, who has been threatened with death for depicting the Prophet Mohammad in cartoons. Another died in an attack on a synagogue close by.

Islamist gunmen attacked a Jewish supermarket in Paris two days after the Charlie Hebdo attack.

Danish police had launched a massive manhunt with helicopters roaring overhead and an array of armoured vehicles on the usually peaceful streets of Copenhagen.

By 0500 GMT, police said they had fired shots and later confirmed they killed a man in Norrebro, an area in Copenhagen not far from the sites of the two attacks.

"We assume that it's the same culprit behind both incidents... that was shot by the police," Chief police inspector Torben Molgaard Jensen told reporters.

French ambassador Francois Zimeray attended the cafe event and praised Denmark's support for freedom of speech following the January attacks in Paris.

Witnesses said the envoy had barely finished an introduction to the meeting when up to 40 shots rang out, outside the venue, as an attacker tried to shoot inside.

Police said they considered Vilks, the main speaker, to have been the target. A 55-year-old man died as a result of that shooting, police said early on Sunday.

"We feel certain now that it was a politically motivated attack, and thereby it was a terrorist attack," Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt told journalists, speaking on Saturday close to the site of the cafe.

Hours later, during the night, shots were fired at a synagogue in another part of the city, about a half hour's walk away from the cafe. A man was shot in the head, and was later confirmed to have died. Two police officers were wounded.

"GET OUT"

In Paris on Jan. 17, brothers Cherif and Said Kouachi burst into the office of the Charlie Hebdo newspaper and opened fire in revenge for its satirical images of the Prophet Mohammad.

In all, 17 people were killed over three days of violence in France.

European Council President Donald Tusk called Saturday's attack "another brutal terrorist attack targeted at our fundamental values and freedoms, including the freedom of expression."

Helle Merete Brix, organiser of the event at the cafe, told Reuters she had seen an attacker wearing a mask.

"The security guards shouted 'Everyone get out!' and we were being pushed out of the room," Brix said.

"They tried to shoot their way into the conference room ... I saw one of them running by, wearing a mask. There was no way to tell his face."

Denmark itself became a target after the publication 10 years ago of cartoons lampooning the Prophet Mohammad, images which led to sometimes fatal protests in the Muslim world.

Many Muslims consider any representation of the Prophet Mohammad blasphemous.

Vilks stirred controversy himself in 2007 with his drawings depicting Mohammad as a dog, triggering numerous death threats.

He has lived under the protection of Swedish police since 2010. Two years ago, an American woman was sentenced to 10 years in prison in the United States for plotting to kill him.

French President Francois Hollande said Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve would go to the Danish capital later on Sunday

related articles
French President defends freedom of speech after anti-Hebdo clashes abroad
French President defends freedom of speech after anti-Hebdo clashes abroad

French President Francois Hollande said on Saturday that anti-Charlie Hebdo protesters in other countries do not understand France's attachment to freedom of speech.

Iran: Holocaust cartoon competition launched in Charlie Hebdo backlash
Iran: Holocaust cartoon competition launched in Charlie Hebdo backlash

Two Iranian institutions have launched a cartoon competition centred on the theme of Holocaust denial following outrage over those published by Charlie Hebdo.

Danish editor who published Mohammed cartoons nominated for Nobel Peace Prize
Danish editor who published Mohammed cartoons nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

A Norwegian MP has nominated Flemming Rose for his commitment to free speech.

Copenhagen: One dead after shootout at blasphemy debate
Copenhagen: One dead after shootout at blasphemy debate

One civilian was killed and three police were wounded on Saturday in a shooting at a public meeting in Copenhagen attended by the controversial Swedish artist Lars Vilks.

News
Faith in difficult times: lessons from 1930s Britain
Faith in difficult times: lessons from 1930s Britain

Architectural historian Steven Brindle talks to Christian Today about the faith that shaped 1930s Britain, the churches that supported struggling communities and what lessons the decade might have for us today.

Campaign aims to mobilise 500,000 Christians for Christmas outreach
Campaign aims to mobilise 500,000 Christians for Christmas outreach

Shine Your Light is aiming to mobilise half a million Christians to share the gospel with five million people across the UK this Christmas, with more than 2,000 churches already signed up, organisers say.

The Church of England should repent for previous calls to ban 'conversion therapy'
The Church of England should repent for previous calls to ban 'conversion therapy'

The Church of England's uneasiness about the government's ‘conversion practices’ bill is a perfect lesson in the old adage, 'be careful what you wish for,' writes Dr Martin Davie.

Leaked Home Office report links 'Christian extremism' to traditionalist beliefs and immigration concerns
Leaked Home Office report links 'Christian extremism' to traditionalist beliefs and immigration concerns

An internal Home Office report lists concerns about immigration, multiculturalism and changing social values among the characteristics associated with what it calls "Christian extremism", it has been reported.