COPENHAGEN, Denmark, June 8 ― A man arrested for hitting Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in a Copenhagen square will appear before a judge today who will decide if he will be kept in custody, police said.
French President Emmanuel Macron today became the latest European leader to denounce the attack as “unacceptable”, in a statement on X.
“I strongly condemn this act and wish Mette Frederiksen a speedy recovery,” Macron added.
“This morning, a 39-year-old man will be brought before the Copenhagen district court for questioning,” police said on X today.
The hearing was expected at 1:00 pm (1100 GMT) and would be held in Frederiksberg in Copenhagen, they added.
The prime minister’s office said in a statement to AFP that Frederiksen was “shocked by the incident”, but did not provide further details.
Witnesses told Danish media they had seen a man giving the prime minister a “hard shove,” adding that while it was a “strong push” Frederiksen did not hit the ground.
The attack was widely condemned by leading European politicians, including EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, who said it was a “despicable act which goes against everything we believe and fight for in Europe.”
The incident follows a spate of attacks on politicians from across the political spectrum at work or on the campaign trail in Germany ahead of this week’s EU elections.
On May 15, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot four times at close range as he greeted supporters after a government meeting in the central town of Handlova.
Fico, who survived the assassination attempt, was taken to a hospital in a nearby city after the shooting, where he underwent two lengthy surgeries.
In 2019, Frederiksen became the country’s youngest prime minister, and kept the post after emerging victorious in the 2022 general election. ― AFP
