Man Identified in Copenhagen Attack

Local Editor

Danish police say they have identified the man they believe to be behind two shootings in the capital in the past 24 hours. They believe last month's Charlie Hebdo massacre in France could have inspired him.

Police have identified the slain gunman suspected of killing two people in a double shooting outside a synagogue and at a free speech debate in Copenhagen as a 22-year-old Danish-born man with a criminal record and history of gang-related offenses.

Authorities have so far refused to make the name of the suspect public. But Danish broadcaster DR Nyheder said the gunman's name was Omar El-Hussein. The man was reportedly released from prison just two weeks ago.

According to Ekstra Bladet daily, El-Hussein was already known to police after he stabbed a man several times in the leg in 2013. A little over a year later, he was given a jail sentence for aggravated assault.

Police meanwhile said they found an automatic weapon which may have been the one used in the attack at the free speech event. The man is believed to have acted alone.

The motivations of the killer are not yet entirely clear. However, Jens Madsen, a representative from the Danish Security and Intelligence Service [PET] said that the gunman "may have been inspired by the events that took place in Paris a few weeks ago."

The suspect reportedly opened fire on police officers before they shot him during a manhunt in central Copenhagen close to the area where the attacks took place. Two civilians were killed and five police wounded in the shootings.

Though Danish Security forces and Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt have characterized the incident as an act of terror, a police spokesperson has said that currently, police have no "concrete knowledge about him travelling to conflict zones including Syria, Iraq," but they are investigating this further.

According to media reports, police have been detaining people throughout the Danish capital.

As part of the expanded operation to track down possible accomplices, police raided an internet cafe on Sunday. Danish TV reported that at least two people were detained during the raid.

Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt said that the government would do "everything we can to protect the Jewish community in our country," after laying flowers at a memorial outside the synagogue.

"We've tasted the ugly taste of fear and impotence that terror wants to create," Thorning-Schmidt said. "But as a society, we have answered back."

The government is expected to allocate additional funding to boththe police and the PET, The Danish Security and Intelligence Service, as well increasing police patrols in Copenhagen in the wake of Saturday's attack.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team