On February 14th at around 18:00 (Moscow time) in the capital of Denmark, Copenhagen, an unknown man riddled the cafe "Krudtenden" ("Powder Keg") with an automatic weapon, where a public discussion "Art, blasphemy and freedom of speech" was being held with the participation of the Ambassador of France and the Swedish artist, cartoonist Lars Vilks. Having fired about 40 shots, the unknown man escaped in a stolen Volkswagen Polo, which was later found abandoned about 2 km from the crime scene. Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt qualified this emergency as a terrorist act. She said that "today Denmark has undergone a cynical act of violence. All the indications are that the shooting was of a political nature, which means this attack is a terrorist act.”
Police said that, in relation to the attack, a 25-30 year-old man of Arabic appearance was wanted. After midnight, shots were fired at the Synagogue on Kristalgade Street, located about three kilometers from the site of the first attack. On Sunday an emergency incident involving shooting happened at the Nørrebro railway station. A man opened fire on police officers, who shot the assailant dead. In total, two people were killed and five injured in the incidents.
According to the police, the man who was killed was allegedly the same man who attacked the cultural center and synagogue. Because of the incident, security has been reinforced. Questioning of witnesses is being conducted and material from surveillance cameras is being studied. Monitoring at crossings is being reinforced, all exits from the capital have been blocked.
The Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan sent its condolences to the families and friends of those killed and injured in the Danish capital. "Azerbaijan condemns the shootings in Copenhagen and expresses its condolences to the families of those killed and injured," Trend quotes the statement of the foreign ministry.
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman called for an uncompromising war against Islamist terrorism after the incident. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged Jews living in Europe to emigrate to their homeland.
"Jews were murdered on European soil because they were Jews. This wave of attacks will continue. I am saying to all the Jews in Europe: Israel is your home," the website of the newspaper "Haaretz" quotes the statement by Netanyahu.
Nevertheless, many media outlets suggest that the main target of the attack was Lars Vilks, widely known in Europe for drawing caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed.
According to the Danish media, Vilks was not injured. The artist arrived in the cafe accompanied by Swedish bodyguards, as he is constantly threatened with death, and since 2010 he has been living under constant police protection.
