Bossip Video

1 Killed In Terrorist Attack At Free Speech Event

Valentine’s Day has been marred already, thanks to a terrorist attack that claimed the life of a civilian and injured three police officers in Denmark.

According to NY Daily News reports:

At least one civilian was killed and three Denmark police officers were shot and wounded during a Copenhagen cafe free speech debate hosted by Swedish artist Lars Vilks, who has been threatened for drawing the Prophet Muhammed, police said.

Two Danish-speaking gunmen, dressed in dark clothes, are on the loose.

About 30 bullets burst threw the windows of Krudttoenden cafe in northern Copenhagen Saturday after French Ambassador Francois Zimeray had just finished speaking, police said.

“They fired on us from the outside,” Zimeray told AFP. “It was the same intention as the Charlie Hebdo attack except they didn’t manage to get in.”

The gunmen sped off in a dark Volkswagen Polo just after the shooting around 4 p.m., police said. Authorities said they found the abandoned car in eastern Copenhagen a little while later.

A 40-year-old man who was attending the event died, police said in a statement. They did not release any other details.

Three police officers suffered non-life-threatening injuries, police told reporters at 7 p.m. local time. One was struck in the groin, another in the leg and the third in the shoulder.

We’re praying for speedy recoveries for the officers involved.

The attempt was quite similar to the recent attack in Paris, raising concerns throughout Europe.

Police are investigating whether the shooting is an assassination attempt on Vilks, who is under police protection whenever he comes to Denmark, incident commander Jørgen Petersen told TV2.

At least 13 people were arrested in connection to plots to kill Vilks after he drew the Muslim Prophet as a dog in 2007. Two brothers tried to burn down his house in 2010 and were arrested for arson.

Vilks, 68, said he had received fewer invitations to give lectures because of increased security concerns after Islamic militants attacked the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine offices in Paris last month.

“This will create fear among people on a whole different level than we’re used to,” he said. “Charlie Hebdo was a small oasis. Not many dared do what they did.”

The Copenhagen tragedy is reminiscent of the Paris attacks, the former head of operations at the Danish Security and Intelligence Service said. The gunmen used automatic weapons in a well-planned attack, just like the Paris terrorists, he said.

This is terrible. What has the world come to? No one is safe anywhere.

APImages

Comments

Bossip Comment Policy
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.