Denmark indicts man for planning school shootings

A 27-year-old man from North Jutland is to face trial for planning to commit shootings at schools in locations across Jutland.

Published: 14 December 2021 18:24 CET

A file photo of Aalborg City Court. A 27-year-old man is to face trial next year for planning school shootings. Photo: Henning Bagger/Ritzau Scanpix

The man produced a manifest and a number of videos over a four-year period in which he described his desire to carry out a shooting attack at a school, according to the charges against him, seen by news wire Ritzau.

He will be put on trial for planning to carry out several school shootings across northern and central Jutland. The schools targeted in the plans are not stated.

According to the charge sheet, he had already taken several concrete steps towards being able to carry out the shootings. These included gaining a firearms licence and a permit to store weapons in his home. He then acquired two pistols.

Live ammunition and an 18-centimetre blade were also found during a police raid on his address.

In addition, the 27-year-old also went to the locations of educational institutes in Aarhus and made online searches for information on schools and a kindergarten in the North and East Jutland regions.

Information found by the man included details of break times, number of pupils and teaching timetables.

The man produced a manifest between 2015 and 2019. According to prosecution authorities, his plans took such form that in 2018 he acquired a car which he intended to use for the attacks.

He also obtained “tactical clothing” according to the Ritzau report. The clothing was found alongside ammunition magazines and balaclavas.

On December 13th last year the man, who lived in the town of Hobro, ordered an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle via Darknet. He was arrested on December 16th 2020.

He has been remanded in custody since his arrest, primarily at a secure psychiatric facility.

He denies the charges against him in the case, which is scheduled to go to Aalborg City Court next year.

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The 39-year-old Polish man is suspected of punching Frederiksen on June 7th as she walked in central Copenhagen, leaving her with a minor whiplash injury.

“The court has decided that the suspect will remain in custody until July 4th,” a court official told AFP, following a hearing that lasted less than an hour.

The man, who was arrested immediately after the incident, has denied responsibility and says he has no recollection of what happened.

Frederiksen, 46, underwent a medical examination afterwards and was diagnosed with a “contusion on her right shoulder and a minor whiplash injury”, according to her office.

A medical certificate was presented to the court on Thursday.

Frederiksen and several witnesses have been questioned in the ongoing investigation, police said.

In police questioning, relayed to the court on Thursday, Frederiksen said the man approached her and uttered something incomprehensible, then hit her on the shoulder with a closed fist, Danish news agency Ritzau reported on Thursday.

According to prosecutor Line Steffensen, the man was drunk and had stolen alcohol from a grocery store just prior to his encounter with the prime minister.

Steffensen said the man had been arrested on several occasions for shoplifting since moving to Denmark five years ago.

Frederiksen became Denmark’s youngest ever prime minister when she was elected in 2019, aged 41. She won re-election in 2022.

She said after the attack that she was “shaken” and did not take part in the final day of campaigning for the EU election.