Denmark's Prime Minister Frederiksen assaulted in central Copenhagen, man arrested
The assault came two days before Danes headed to the polls in the EU election. Three weeks ago, Slovakia's Prime Minister, Robert Fico, was seriously injured in an assassination attempt.
Denmark's Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, walked away following an assault by a man in central Copenhagen on Friday and had no outward signs of harm, a local resident told Reuters.
Soren Kjergaard, who works as a barista in central Copenhagen, gave this account after seeing her being escorted away by security.
"She seemed a little stressed," Kjergaard said.
The PM's office, without giving further detail, said in a statement, "Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was beaten on Friday evening at Kultorvet (square, red.) in Copenhagen by a man who was subsequently arrested."
Whiplash injury
In a statement on Saturday, Frederiksen's office said she suffered a light whiplash injury in the incident.
"Apart from that, the Prime Minister is safe and sound, but she is shocked by the incident," it said, adding that Frederiksen had been taken to the hospital for a check-up following the incident late on Friday.
All the Prime Minister's official events on Saturday had been cancelled, her office said.
Police said on social media platform X that they had arrested a man and were investigating the incident, but declined to give further details
On Saturday, the police said the 39-year-old man would appear in front of a judge for preliminary questioning in relation to the assault.
Police said the man would be brought before the Copenhagen City Court for questioning at around 1 pm (1100 GMT), but declined to provide more detail.
Neither the police nor the prime minister's office said anything about the man's motive or whether he had carried a weapon.
Previous cases
The assault came two days before Danes headed to the polls in the EU election. Three weeks ago, Slovakia's Prime Minister, Robert Fico, was seriously injured in an assassination attempt.
Danish Minister of Environment Magnus Heunicke said on X: "Mette is naturally shocked by the attack. I must say that it shakes all of us who are close to her."
A month ago, three German politicians suffered assaults ahead of the European Parliament and district council elections, and more attacks followed earlier this week.
Several EU leaders condemned the incident, among them Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
"The attack on Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen is an intolerable act of violence that represents an attack on the heart of democratic values," Meloni wrote on X.
Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, said on X: "I was so shocked at the news of you being assaulted tonight. I condemn this despicable act, which goes against everything we believe and fight for in Europe. I wish you strength and courage; I know you have plenty of both."
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