(Copenhagen) Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, “shaken”, canceled her commitments on Saturday and suffers from a “slight whiplash” after being attacked on Friday in Copenhagen by a man who will be presented to a judge.
The suspect, aged 39, will be presented today to a judge at a Copenhagen court who will rule on his detention, Danish police announced on X.
“After being attacked yesterday, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was taken to Rigshospitalet for a medical examination. The attack caused a slight whiplash,” according to a press release from her services, which specifies that she is “shaken by the incident” and has therefore canceled her program for that day.
The police indicated that a “39-year-old man will be brought before a Copenhagen court for questioning” this Saturday, specifying that the hearing would take place around 7 a.m. (Eastern time) at the Copenhagen court. Frederiksberg. She did not want to comment on the circumstances of the incident.
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 said he tried to run away quickly but did not get far before he was grabbed and wrestled 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,” wrote French President Emmanuel Macron 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.
