Denmark’s Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, was assaulted by a man in central Copenhagen earlier today. According to police statements on social media platform X, the assailant has been apprehended, and an investigation is underway. However, further details have not been disclosed at this time.
Frederiksen’s office released a statement confirming the attack: “Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was beaten on Friday evening at Kultorvet in Copenhagen by a man who was subsequently arrested. The Prime Minister is shocked by the incident.”
Eyewitnesses, including Soren Kjergaard, a barista working on the square, reported seeing the prime minister being swiftly escorted away by security personnel following the assault. Kjergaard noted that Frederiksen appeared to be unharmed but visibly stressed.
The assault on Frederiksen comes just two days before Danes head to the polls in the EU elections and follows a recent assassination attempt on Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico. Fico, 59, was seriously injured last month after being shot in the abdomen while greeting supporters outside a cultural center in Handlova, Slovakia.
Danish police confirmed the incident took place at Kultorvet, a pedestrian square in the heart of Copenhagen. They stated, “We have made an arrest in the case, which we are now investigating. We currently have no further comments or observations on the matter.”
This attack has raised concerns as approximately 450 million citizens in the EU’s 27 member states prepare to elect more than 700 members of the European Parliament.
As the situation develops, further details about the investigation and the motives behind the assault are awaited.