Shooting at Copenhagen Shul
Breaking news: Shots were fired at a Copenhagen synagogue, Danish police said late Saturday night, three injured. Update from Local Shliach • Full Story, Photos including Photo of Suspect
Three people were wounded in a shooting at a Copenhagen synagogue tonight, just hours after a gunman killed one person and wounded three cops at a free-speech event at a café in the Danish city, police said.
Police said it was too early to say whether the two shootings were related.
The shooting at the synagogue tonight comes as police were looking for at least one gunman from the attack earlier in the day at the Krudttoenden cafe, which Danish officials described as terrorism and an assassination attempt.
“We feel certain now that it is a politically motivated attack, and thereby it is a terrorist attack,” Danish Prime Minister Helle Thornin-Schmidt said of the cafe shooting.
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Investigators described the shooting as a likely terror attack, officials told. Police initially said they were looking for two shooters, but after interviews with witnesses now say there was only one.
They released a security photo of the suspect, showing a man in a dark coat, with what appeared to be a reddish hat and scarf covering much of his face.
The shooting happened about 4 p.m. at an event titled “Art, Blasphemy and Freedom of Expression,” organized by Swedish artist Lars Vilks, who has faced several threats after caricaturing the Prophet Muhammad.
“I’m not sure how many shots but I’d say about 20 or 30 shots,” said Dennis Myhoff-Brink, who witnessed the attack. “And, people panicked of course and ran to the doors. Other people were hiding behind tables they had turned over.”
Vilks, 68, who was not injured in the shooting, said he believed he was the intended target.
“What other motive could there be? It’s possible it was inspired by Charlie Hebdo,” he told The Associated Press.
The shooting happened a month after gunmen opened fire on the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine in Paris, killing 12 people.
The windows of the cafe were riddled with dozens of bullet holes, reported Danish news channel TV2.
The conditions of the three officers injured were not released by police, according to the AP. The 40-year-old victim was not identified.
While no one has claimed responsibility for the shooting, one of the organizers, Helle Merete Brix, told the AP he felt Vilks was targeted.
“I saw a masked man running past,” Brix said. “I clearly consider this as an attack on Lars Vilks.”
Update: The local Shliach in Copenhagen, Denmark, just reported that as of now the Chabad House is in full lockdown. Police carrying machine-guns are stopping all vehicles driving in the area, continuing the search for the suspect.
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