Danish officials said Saturday that an attack on Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, which left her “shaken” and with a whiplash injury, was likely not politically motivated.
A 39-year-old Polish man arrested for striking the prime minister on Friday evening was remanded in custody until June 20 after appearing before a Copenhagen court, prosecutor Taruh Sekeroglu told reporters.
“It is not our main hypothesis that there is a political motive here. But that is something that the police will investigate,” Sekeroglu said.
The man is suspected of violence against a public servant and is considered a flight risk.
Frederiksen’s office said she had been taken to a hospital for a check-up after the attack in a Copenhagen square. The assault caused a minor whiplash injury and left the prime minister “otherwise safe but shaken by the incident,” her office said. Her Saturday schedule was canceled.
During the Saturday hearing, the prosecution presented a statement from a doctor describing the defendant as mentally unbalanced and under the influence, Danish media reported. Police described the man, who denied the crime, as “probably both under the influence of substances and drunk” when arrested.
French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday denounced the attack as “unacceptable” and wished Frederiksen a speedy recovery.
Two witnesses reported they had seen Frederiksen arrive at the square just before 6:00 pm on Friday. “A man came by in the opposite direction and gave her a hard shove on the shoulder, causing her to fall to the side,” they said. The man, described as tall and slim, tried to hurry away but was detained by men in suits.
The attack was condemned by EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen as a “despicable act.”
In 2019, Frederiksen became Denmark’s youngest prime minister and retained the post after winning the 2022 general election.
The incident follows a series of attacks on politicians in Germany ahead of this week’s EU elections.
