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Man arrested after Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen 'hit' in Copenhagen

Danish police said they have arrested a man and are investigating after Frederiksen was "hit" in Copenhagen. Frederiksen's office said she was "shocked by the incident".

A woman in a blue top stares to her left.

The Danish prime minister's office said she had been "beaten" by a man in Copenhagen's Kultorvet square. Source: AAP / Jeremias Gonzalez/AP

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has walked away following an assault by a man in central Copenhagen.

The background: Frederiksen was "hit" on Friday evening (local time) at the public square of Kultorvet in Copenhagen, by a man who was subsequently arrested, her office said in a statement.

"The prime minister is shocked by the incident."

Police said on social media platform X they had arrested a man and were investigating the incident but declined to give further details.
A woman speaking into a microphone in front of a cabinet containing books.
The attack on Mette Frederiksen comes two days before Danes head to the polls in the EU election. Source: AAP / Tomas Tkacik/SOPA Images/Sipa USA
Two witnesses told newspaper BT that they had seen Frederiksen arrive at the square while they were sitting by a nearby fountain.

They said a man came in the opposite direction and "gave her a hard shove on the shoulder" which caused her to "fall to the side".

They added that while it was a "strong push", Frederiksen did not hit the ground.

The key quote: "Mette is naturally shocked by the attack. I must say that it shakes all of us who are close to her," Danish Environment Minister Magnus Heunicke said on X.

What else to know: The assault comes two days before Danes head to the polls in the EU election.

Three weeks ago, Slovakia's in an assassination attempt.


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Source: AAP, AFP

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