COPENHAGEN (Danmark aEUR) A gunman who opened fire on a crowd in a shopping mall killing three people acted alone, according to Danish police Monday. They also said that he had chosen his victims randomly. This is a clear indication that the attack was not an act of terror.
A 22-year-old Danish citizen was charged with attempted murder and murder. He will remain in custody for 24 days while authorities investigate. The police stated that the man was known to the mental health service, but did not elaborate.
Police are still trying to identify the motive behind Sunday's attack at one of Scandinavia's largest shopping malls. The suspect was carrying a knife and a rifle when he was arrested. Copenhagen chief police inspector SA.ren Thomassen stated that the suspect also had access to a second gun. The suspect claimed that the firearms had been illegally obtained, but he did not provide any further details.
Mette Frederiksen, Danish Prime Minister, said Monday that it was "the worst nightmare" and called the attack "unusually cruel."
According to Thomassen, the three victims were a Russian man aged 47 and a Russian boy 17 years old. Four other people sustained gunshot wounds, and were admitted to hospital in critical but stable condition. All 30 were injured, the majority in panicked stampede at Field's shopping centre, just outside of Copenhagen.
Gun violence in Denmark is rare. In Denmark, gun violence is rare. The 22-year old man who was shot to death in a shootout with police following an attack on the capital left five officers and two victims.
The suspect, who could not be identified by court order, was brought in front of a judge Monday to face four preliminary murder charges and three attempted murder charges. Although this is a minor step, it allows authorities to hold the suspect in custody while they investigate.
The judge requested media to leave the hearing and closed it. The suspect's plea was not immediately known. Police said that he will remain in custody through July 28.
Thomassen stated that police did not have any evidence that the man was being helped by anyone.
Thomassen stated that "there is nothing in our probe, or any documents we have looked at, or the items we have found, nor the witnesses' statements that we have gotten that can substantiate this is an act terrorism." He previously identified the man with the term "ethnic Dane", which is a common term for someone who is white.
Danish broadcaster TV2 published a grainy photograph of the alleged gunman. It showed a man in knee-length shorts and a vest or sleevesless shirt with what appears to be a rifle in one hand.
Eyewitness Mahdi al-Wazni said that he seemed violent and angry. "He spoke to my camera and said that the rifle wasn't real, as he was filming me. He seemed proud of his work."
The scene was captured in images.
Chassandra Stoltz was an 18-year old student. She was heading to a Harry Styles concert nearby and described a stampede when the shots started. She thought Styles had been spotted by her father and sister, but then she realized that panic set in. One man grabbed his child from the chaos, and she was able to get her sister and brother back home.
Stoltz stated that people were leading us to the exit sign. "We ran up the roof, where we were stuck for a while. Then people panicked all over the place and started crying."
The shooting resulted in the cancellation of Styles' concert.
Sunday's attack occurred a week after an attack in Norway. Police said that a Norwegian man of Iranian descent opened fire at a LGBTQ festival. Two people were killed and more than 20 others were injured.
