Copenhagen police shoot, kill man near train station

Doug Stanglin | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Denmark shooting targets artist who drew Mohammed At least one person is dead and others wounded following a shooting at a freedom of speech meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark. According to reports, police on the scene regard this attack as an assassination attempt on artist Lars Vilks.

Danish authorities mounted a nationwide manhunt Saturday for a gunman who opened fire on a free speech seminar at a Copenhagen cafe in an apparent attempt to kill a Swedish artist who had published cartoons of the prophet Mohammed eight years ago.

Hours later, the Associated Press reported that three people, including two police officers, were shot in a second incident in the Danish city, although it is unclear if it is connected to the first attack.

One person is dead and two were injured in the later attack, which occurred near a synagogue in downtown Copenhagen. The shooter fled on foot, police told the AP.

Police in Denmark shot and killed a man they had under surveillance in connection with Saturday's shootings.

Police will hold a press briefing at 10 am local time.

Police said the gunman in the first attack, who fled in a stolen car, killed one person and injured three police officers in the attack at the Krudttoenden cafe, which was hosting an "Art, blasphemy and the freedom of expression" event.

Police released a grainy photo of a man in a dark ski jacket and cap who may be linked to the attack. It was taken by a surveillance camera near the site where the gunman abandoned the dark-colored Volkswagen Polo that he had carjacked.

Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt called the shooting "a cynical act of violence" and an "act of terrorism."

The United States condemned the "deplorable shooting" and offered condolences to the loved ones of the deceased victim, according to a statement from National Security Council spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan. U.S. officials have been in touch with Danish authorities and are ready to help with the investigation.

Danish authorities called on Germany and Sweden to be on the lookout for the suspect at their borders with Denmark. Authorities initially thought two people were involved in the shooting.

Police said the apparent target of the shooting was Lars Vilks, 68, who has endured several attempted attacks and death threats since he depicted the founder of Islam as a dog in 2007.

Vilks escaped unharmed after a bodyguard shoved him into the cafe kitchen when the gunfire erupted around 4 p.m.

"What other motive could there be? It's possible it was inspired by Charlie Hebdo," he said, referring to the Jan. 7 attack by Islamic extremists on the French newspaper.

"At first there was panic. People crawled down under tables," Vilks said. "My bodyguards quickly pulled me away."

"I heard someone firing with an automatic weapon and someone shouting. Police returned the fire and I hid behind the bar. I felt surreal, like in a movie," Niels Ivar Larsen, one of the speakers at the event, told the TV2 channel.

The dead victim was identified by police only as a 40-year-old civilian.

Francois Zimeray, the French ambassador to Denmark, was in the cafe at the time but was not hurt. "Bullets went through the doors and everyone threw themselves to the floor," he told the AFP news agency.

The Danish Security and Intelligence Service described the gunman, who was carrying a black machine gun, as tall, with an athletic build. It said he had an "Arabic appearance, but with lighter skin than normal and black straight hair."

He wore a black or dark blue ski jacket and matching pants, possibly with gloves, the security service said.

The gunman did not get into the main room where the event was being held, but fired into it, according to several media accounts.

Police later found the getaway car abandoned near a metro station and promptly shut down the transit line between two stations to search for the suspect.

Danish TV2 reported that about 30 bullet holes hit the window of the cafe and that at least two people were taken away on stretchers, including a uniformed police officer.

Helle Merete Brix, one of the organizers of the event, told TV2 that Vilks ran to the nearby kitchen when the shots rang out.

"He was very cool," she said. "We stood and told each other bad jokes. His bodyguards did a tremendous job."

She told the TV station the attack was a "clear assassination attempt" of Vilks, who receives police protection when he is in Denmark.

Frank Jensen, Lord Mayor of Copenhagen, said he was "deeply horrified" by the shootings which appeared to be a "violent crackdown on freedom of expression."

"Unfortunately, there are people who react with violence when their entrenched mindset meets with the free debate and freedom of speech," Jensen wrote on his Facebook page. "We must stand firm on the values our society is built on, and never give in to fear."

Last year, a Pennsylvania woman received a 10-year prison term for a plot to kill Vilks. In 2010, two brothers tried to burn down his house in southern Sweden and were imprisoned for attempted arson.

After Islamist militants attacked the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine in Paris last month, killing 12 people, Vilks told the AP that even fewer organizations were inviting him to give lectures over increased security concerns.

Vilks said he thought Sweden's SAPO security service, which deploys bodyguards to protect him, would step up the security around him.

"This will create fear among people on a whole different level than we're used to," he said. "Charlie Hebdo was a small oasis. Not many dared do what they did."

Contributing: The Associated Press