“I am saddened and shocked by yesterday’s incident, but other than that I am doing fine,” she said.
Copenhagen:
Danish authorities said on Saturday that an attack on Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who she said was “shocked” but “fine”, was not considered politically motivated.
A 39-year-old Polish man arrested after punching the prime minister in a Copenhagen square on Friday evening was remanded in custody until June 20 after appearing in court in the Danish capital, prosecutor Taruh Sekeroglu told reporters.
“It is not our leading hypothesis that there is a political motive here. But that is something that the police will of course investigate,” Sekeroglu said.
Sekeroglu said the man was suspected of violence against an official and that he posed a flight risk.
In a post on the social media platform Instagram on Saturday evening, the head of government said she needed “peace and quiet”.
“I am saddened and shocked by yesterday’s incident, but other than that I am doing well,” says 46-year-old Frederiksen.
She thanked people for the “many, many, many messages of support and encouragement” and said she needed to be with her family now.
Frederiksen’s office previously told AFP that she had been taken to a hospital for checks after the attack, which caused a “minor whiplash injury.”
– Suspect drunk –
During the hearing on Saturday, the prosecutor presented a doctor’s statement describing the suspect as mentally unbalanced and drunk, Danish media reported.
Broadcaster DR said police had described the man, who denied being guilty of a crime, as “probably both under the influence of substances and drunk” when he was arrested.
The broadcaster also reported that the prosecutor asked in court whether the man could remember what he did between 5:30 pm (1530 GMT) and 5:45 pm the day before.
“To be completely honest: no, not much,” the man replied, according to DR.
French President Emmanuel Macron joined European leaders on Saturday in denouncing the attack, calling it “unacceptable” in a statement on X.
“I strongly condemn this act and wish Mette Frederiksen a speedy recovery,” Macron added.
Two witnesses, Marie Adrian and Anna Ravn, told BT newspaper that they saw Frederiksen arrive at the square just before 6pm on Friday while sitting at a nearby fountain.
The newspaper quoted the women as saying that a man gave Frederiksen “a hard push on the shoulder, causing her to fall to the side” but did not hit the ground.
It said they described the man as tall and slim and that he had tried to run away but didn’t get far before he was grabbed by men in suits and pushed to the ground.
– ‘Surprised’ –
The attack was widely condemned by leading European politicians, including the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, who said it was a “despicable act that goes against everything we believe in and fight for in Europe.”
Ordinary Danes on the streets of Copenhagen were shocked.
“I was just surprised that this could happen,” 45-year-old Anna Liljegren told AFP.
“I’m sure she has security,” she added.
Another Dane, 25-year-old Frederik Bey, told AFP he found it “quite disturbing that such things can happen in Denmark”.
In 2019, Frederiksen became the country’s youngest prime minister at the age of 41, taking the post after emerging victorious in the 2022 general election.
The incident follows a wave of attacks on European politicians from across the political spectrum in the run-up to this week’s EU elections.
Several politicians in Germany have been attacked at work or during their campaigns.
On May 15, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot four times at close range as he greeted supporters after a government meeting.
Fico, who survived the assassination attempt, underwent two lengthy hospital operations.
The Danes go to the polls on Sunday for their EU vote.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
