Stockholm. Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was attacked by a man in Copenhagen on Friday evening. The Prime Minister was ‘shocked’ by this attack which took place a short distance from Frederiksen’s home. Copenhagen police have confirmed the incident, but refused to give further information on it.
Meanwhile, BBC quoted the Prime Minister’s Office as saying, “Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was attacked by a man at Kultorvet in Copenhagen on Friday evening, who was later arrested. The Prime Minister is shocked by this incident.”
Police arrested the attacker
Eyewitnesses of this incident said that a man came from the opposite direction and pushed the Prime Minister’s shoulder hard, causing her to fall. However, she managed to hold herself and avoided falling to the ground.
After this incident, the attacker was arrested. However, his identity and the motive behind the attack are not yet known.
Attack 2 days before European Union elections
The attack took place two days before Denmark goes to the polls for the EU elections. Frederiksen, 46, became prime minister in 2019 after taking over as leader of the centre-left Social Democrats four years ago. She thus became the youngest prime minister in Danish history.
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen has called the attack a ‘disgraceful act’. European Council President Charles Michel said on X, ‘I strongly condemn this cowardly act.’ Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom have also condemned the attack.
In a similar incident last month, Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot, although he survived. Apart from this, Social Democrat leader MEP Mathias was beaten up during election campaign in Germany last month.
Tags: International news, World news
FIRST PUBLISHED : June 8, 2024, 09:21 IST