Police on Tuesday cordoned off the area around the Copenhagen cafe that was the scene of a deadly weekend attack, while they investigated what was thought to be a “suspicious” letter.
Heavily armed Danish police arrived on the scene and officers searched the area with sniffer dogs, a sight unlikely to ease the city’s frayed nerves.
Police officer Steen Hansen told CNN that military bomb disposal units were on site, standard procedure in a case like this.
A CNN team at the scene said it appeared the suspicious letter had been removed by a member of the bomb disposal unit. It was on the ground in front of the cafe, a few steps from the banks of flowers left as a memorial by members of the public.
The police subsequently said on Twitter: “Investigation concluded. Nothing about explosives. Barricade no longer in place.”
The suspect in Saturday’s attack has been named as Omar Abdel Hamid El-Hussein, a senior member of the Danish government said.
The gunman opened fire at a free speech forum at the cafe before shooting several people outside a synagogue, one of whom died, and then firing at police. Police killed him in the shootout.
The suspected gunman swore fidelity to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in a posting made on what’s apparently his Facebook page just before the weekend shooting spree.
The post pledges “allegiance to Abu Bakr in full obedience in the good and bad things. And I won’t dispute with him unless it is an outrageous disbelief.”
Charges have been filed against two men who are accused of helping to hide the gunman, the men’s attorney said Monday. Lawyer Michael Eriksen said the men, 19 and 22, were charged with two counts of accessory to murder and five counts of accessory to atttempted murder.
Eriksen told CNN that the two, who pleaded not guilty, have not been charged under Denmark’s anti-terrorism laws.
The nation began the healing process Monday night with a candlelight vigil at which Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt appealed for national unity. Authorities estimated more than 40,000 attended the event.
“An attack on Denmark’s Jews is an attack on everyone,” she said. “The Jewish community is an important part of Denmark. We will stand together and continue the everyday life we know. We stand together as Danes.”
Lars Vilks, a Swedish artist who attended Saturday’s forum, believes he was likely the target of the attack. He escaped unharmed and told CNN on Monday he has gone into hiding.
Vilks, known for his controversial depictions of the Prophet Mohammed, is on an al Qaeda hit list. He declined to specify when he first went into hiding and said he is not afraid.