Iceland Prime Minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson has vowed to stand side by side with Denmark following the deadly shootings in Copenhagen last weekend.
Speaking to Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt over the phone on Monday, Gunnlaugsson offered Iceland’s condolences to the Scandinavian country and said the thoughts of Icelanders were with Denmark during this troubled time.
Danish film director Finn Norgaard, 55, was shot dead and three police officers were injured on Saturday afternoon when a gunmen opened fire on a café in the Danish capital’s Osterbro district during a free-speech debate. Swedish artist Lars Vilks, who has published drawings featuring the prophet Muhammad was at the event.
Then at around 1:00am on Sunday morning, the attacker opened fire outside the city’s central synagogue, which was hosting a bat mitzvah, killing 37-year-old volunteer guard Dan Uzan. Two more police officers were wounded in the shootings. Police later shot the suspect at his residence in the district of Norrebro.
Gunnlaugsson, who used to live on the same street as the synagogue, described the attacks as a “challenge to the democracy and human rights” that Denmark was known for. He also noted that the Danish people had reacted to the incidents with self-control and determination.