Mall shooting is not a terrorist attack: Copenhagen police

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
4 Jul 2022 12:44

Despite targetting and killing civilians, the Copenhagen police did not designate the armed shooter as a terrorist.

The 22-year-old shooter walking around inside Field's Shopping Centre

Copenhagen police claimed to have found no proof that the shopping mall shooting, which killed three people, was a terrorist assault, said top police inspector Soren Thomassen on Monday. The shooting occurred late Sunday at the Field's shopping complex near Copenhagen Airport.

Three individuals were killed, including two 17-year-old Danes and a 47-year-old Russian national, while four others were severely injured and are currently in critical condition. "So far, nothing suggests that a terrorist attack has been committed," Thomassen told a briefing.

The police believe the alleged gunman, a 22-year-old Dane, acted alone and was armed with a rifle and a knife. All of the victims were unintentional.

The police also confirmed that the detainee had previously seen a psychiatrist, however, no information on whether he had a mental disorder was offered, according to Thomassen.

A Russian citizen was among the three victims of the Copenhagen mall shooting. Two 17-year-old Danes and a 47-year-old Russian citizen were slain in a nighttime shooting at a Copenhagen shopping center, according to chief police inspector Soren Thomassen on Monday.

"The three fatalities include a 17-year-old Danish man, a 17-year-old Danish woman, and a 47-year-old man with Russian citizenship," Thomassen told a briefing. Four people sustained severe injuries as a result of the shooting, including two Danish females, aged 40 and 19, as well as a 50-year-old Swedish male and a 16-year-old Swedish female.

They are still in critical condition, he added. The shooting occurred late Sunday at the Field's shopping complex near Copenhagen Airport. The motives of the shooter are not yet clear.