Bullets Spray Copenhagen Free-Speech Meeting
by VOA News February 14, 2015
Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt has called Saturday's deadly shooting at a free-speech event in Copenhagen a terrorist attack.
The prime minister issued a statement shortly after one person was killed in a barrage of gunfire at a cafe where Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks was due to speak.
Thorning-Schmidt added that all of Denmark is on high alert and police have been deployed across the country.
Vilks is known for provocative drawings, including a 2007 cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad with the body of a dog. He was unharmed in the shooting, as was the French ambassador to Denmark, Francois Zimeray, but a spokeswoman for the committee called the shooting an attempt on Vilks' life.
Witnesses said gunmen fired multiple shots, riddling the cafe's large front window with bullet holes, and then fled in a dark-colored car. Police later found the abandoned car, but the suspects' whereabouts are unclear.
The shooting took place during a freedom of speech event organized by the Lars Vilks Committee. The organization supports Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks, who lives under heavy security because of his controversial work. The 68-year-old has survived several attempted attacks and death threats, including one plot that resulted in a U.S. woman being sentenced to 10 years in prison.
At Saturday's event, French Ambassador Zimeray was expected to talk about the impact of last month's attacks in Paris on the offices of the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine and a kosher grocery. The attacks by Muslim extremists left 20 people dead, including the attackers. The French magazine was known for mocking religion and had published several cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad.
French President Francois Hollande has announced he is sending his interior minister, Bernard Cazeneuve, to Denmark as soon as possible.
The mayor of Copenhagen, Frank Jensen, said he is 'deeply appalled' by the shooting. He said it is too early to know a motive, but added that 'it looks like, unfortunately, a violent attack on freedom of expression.'
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