Danish police say they believe a man killed in a shootout Sunday is responsible for both the fatal attack at a free speech forum and the deadly shooting near a synagogue in Copenhagen.
On Saturday, a gunman stormed a cafe where controversial Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks and his supporters had gathered for a free speech forum. The shooter killed a 55-year-old man and wounded three officers before fleeing, police said.
About 10 hours later, someone approached two officers near a synagogue and started shooting, police said. Those officers were wounded, but another person nearby died.
On Sunday morning, as officers tried to approach a man who may be connected to the attacks, the man opened fire, Copenhagen police said. Police returned fire, killing him. No officers were injured.
While the identity of the shooter was not released, Islamist extremists have made documented threats against Vilks.
Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt said she believes that attack was an act of terror.
“Everything points to … the shooting in Oesterbro (being) a political assassination and therefore a terror attack,” Thorning-Schmidt said.
“We have some difficult days ahead … But in Denmark, we will never bow to violence.”
