(Copenhagen) The 39-year-old man suspected of attacking Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Friday evening probably acted without political motivation and was remanded in custody on Saturday until June 20.
Mette Frederiksen, “shaken”, canceled her commitments on Saturday and suffered a “slight whiplash” after being attacked in a Copenhagen square, her services said.
“Our current working hypothesis is that the incident is not politically motivated,” police said on X after the suspect’s hearing by a judge who decided to place him in pre-trial detention until June 20.
The Danish Prime Minister, 46, underwent a medical examination at hospital, her services said in a statement to AFP on Saturday.
“The attack caused a slight whiplash,” according to this press release, which specifies that she is “shaken by the incident” and has therefore canceled her program for that day.
For his part, the 39-year-old suspect was mumbling and seemed absent at the time of his arrest, the prosecution said during the hearing, according to Danish media.
He appeared to be intoxicated, according to a medical report cited by the prosecutor. He allegedly punched the prime minister’s right arm, according to the prosecution.
Two witnesses told Danish daily BT that they saw Mette Frederiksen arrive at a square in central Copenhagen on Friday as they sat near a fountain just before 6 p.m. local time (12 p.m. Eastern Time).
“A man came from the opposite direction and pushed her shoulder hard, which caused her to stumble to the side” but without causing her to fall, according to these witnesses.
Although it was a “strong push,” Ms. Frederiksen did not fall to the ground, they said.
They described the man as tall and thin and added that he tried to run away, but did not have time to get far before being grabbed and put to the ground by men in suits.
Several European leaders denounced this new attack, which comes three weeks after an assassination attempt in Slovakia against the head of government Robert Fico, who was shot and wounded on May 15, while he was greeting his supporters following a government meeting.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has condemned a “despicable act” against the Danish prime minister.
“The attack on the Danish Prime Minister is unacceptable. I strongly condemn this act and wish Mette Frederiksen a speedy recovery,” French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on the social network X.
Also condemning this attack, the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, urged the head of the Danish government on Friday to “stay strong”, adding in a message published on X that “violence has no place in politics”.
Mette Frederiksen, 46, became Denmark’s youngest prime minister in 2019 and retained her post after her party won the 2022 parliamentary elections.
This attack comes as some 4.3 million Danish voters will elect their 15 MEPs on Sunday. According to polls, the Prime Minister’s social democratic party is expected to retain its three seats in the European Parliament.