Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s office said in a statement that the prime minister is recovering from a minor injury and is fine after a man assaulted her in central Copenhagen on Friday.
Her office’s statement on Saturday said Frederiksen was taken to the hospital for medical examinations shortly after the assault, and although she was not injured, she was “shaken by the incident.” Her office added that she had canceled her schedule for the rest day.
Police said the 46-year-old prime minister was walking in Kulturvet Square, one of the main squares in central Copenhagen, on Friday evening when a 39-year-old man assaulted her. The details of the incident are still unclear, but local media reported that it appeared that the man aggressively walked towards Frederiksen and pushed her forcefully as she passed through Kulturveit Square.
The suspect was later arrested and is scheduled to appear on Saturday at a pre-trial hearing at the Copenhagen District Court in Frederiksberg, a municipal district within the Danish capital.
Two witnesses, Marie Adrian and Anna Raven, told BT they saw Frederiksen arrive at the square while they were sitting next to a nearby fountain shortly before 6pm.
The two women told the newspaper: “A man came in the opposite direction and hit her hard on the shoulder, causing her to fall to the side.”
They said that although it was a “strong push”, Frederiksen did not hit the ground. They said the prime minister then sat in a nearby café.
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They described the man as tall and thin, and said he tried to speed away but did not get far before men in suits grabbed him and pushed him to the ground.
Copenhagen police confirmed that there had been an incident involving the prime minister but did not provide further details.
The police said in a statement published on the X website: “We have one person arrested in the case that we are currently investigating. At this time, we do not have any further comments or observations about the case.”
The manager of a bar in the square told Reuters news agency that he saw Frederiksen walking away after the incident, accompanied by security officers.
“Well, I saw the prime minister sitting with a friend at this table and I think just a minute or two later, four guys from the Danish National Security and Intelligence Service showed up, and they talked about arresting someone. Then the four pets took her somewhere in In the middle of the square, then I took her to a nearby distance.”
Leaders in Denmark and elsewhere in Europe condemned the attack, which occurred just days before the European Union parliamentary elections on Sunday.
“I must say that she is shaking all of us, those close to her,” Danish Environment Minister Magnus Hueneke said in a post on social media. “Nothing like this should happen in our beautiful, safe, free country.”
“An attack on a democratically elected leader is also an attack on our democracy,” Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said.
Charles Michel, President of the European Council, described the attack as a “cowardly act of aggression.”
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed reporting.
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