Sunday 15 February 2015

Copenhagen police in hunt for lone wolf 'jihadi' shoot and kill man at train station near to where synagogue execution and 200-bullet cafe attack took place


Police hunting for a 'lone wolf' gunman in Copenhagen have shot and killed a man at a city train station - just hours after two men died and five others were injured in two shooting attacks nearby.
Shortly before midnight (EST) on Saturday, officers gunned down the unidentified man - described as 'a person of interest' in the manhunt - at Norrebro train station after he 'opened fire' on them.
The force is now investigating whether he was responsible for either, or both, of the shootings, which occurred at a Jewish synagogue and a local cafe within hours of each other on Saturday.


In a statement, police said the man had been under surveillance to determine whether he was behind the attacks. He was shot dead in a gunfight at the train station, which had earlier been evacuated.
'At one point a person who could be interesting in relation to the investigation arrived at the site,' the force told Agence-France Presse. 'He opened fire against the police and was thereafter shot.'
Earlier on Saturday, an 'Islamist fanatic' fired 200 bullets into the Danish capital's Krudttoenden cafe in an apparent attempt to kill Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks, who drew Prophet Mohammed as a dog.
Although 68-year-old Vilks - who was attending a free speech event in a lecture hall inside the building housing the cafe - escaped the 'terrorist' attack, a 55-year-old man died and three cops were injured.




Just hours later, an unnamed man was fatally shot in the head and a further two police officers were wounded in a second attack at Copenhagen's Great Synagogue, about two miles away from the cafe.
The two officers are expected to survive after being struck in the arm and leg, Danish police said. The man was rushed to hospital, where he later died from his wounds. The gunman fled the scene on foot. 
During a press conference on Saturday night, police said it remains unclear whether the two incidents are linked, nor whether the perpetrator of the second attack is the same as that of the first.




Early Sunday morning, armed police were still patrolling Copenhagen and helicopters were circling overhead as the city remained in lockdown. Locals had been warned to be vigilant and stay inside.
Before the 'person of interest' was shot dead by police, officers had reportedly been keeping an address under observation in the district of Norrebro, about three miles away from the synagogue.
When the man showed up at the train station in the predominantly immigrant district, he spotted officers keeping watch, pulled out a gun and started firing, police said. He was killed in return fire. 




Sebastian Zepeda, 19, from London, was one of many people too terrified to leave their hotel rooms and homes on Saturday after hearing the second shooting underway at the synagogue below him.
He said: 'I was on my bed and I heard gunshots. And my heart raced. All of a sudden the road was packed with police.' Norrebro train station was evacuated in the minutes after the shooting.
Denmark was first placed on high alert on Saturday afternoon after the 'lone wolf' gunman fired on the cafe during a free speech event featuring Mr Vilks, who believes he was the intended target.
Francois Zimeray, the French ambassador to Denmark, was inside the cafe - which was hosting the panel discussion 'Art, blasphemy and freedom of expression' at the time - when the attack began. 
He compared it to the Charlie Hebdo massacre in Paris last month, when extremists stormed the satirical newspaper's offices and shot dead 12 people, before carrying out two further fatal attacks.
The free speech event - and both of Saturday's attacks - occurred on the 26th anniversary of a fatwa being issued calling for the murder of Salman Rushdie for his novel, The Satanic Verses.  


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2953594/Shots-fired-Copenhagen-cafe-free-speech-event.html#ixzz3RnjlNGsf
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