On February 14, a gunman opened fire on a café in Copenhagen, killing one man and injuring three police officers. The café was hosting a debate on free speech — featuring the controversial cartoonist Lars Vilks, famous for his 2007 drawing of the Muslim Prophet Muhammad as a dog. Hours later, the shooter, who had fled the scene of the crime, reappeared outside of Denmark's central synagogue, where he shot and killed a Jewish volunteer guard and wounded two more police officers. The shooter again fled the scene, sparking a citywide manhunt.Around 5am on February 15, the suspected gunman was located by police and shot dead. He was soon identified as Omar el-Hussein, a 22-year-old Danish-born Muslim man, who had just been released from jail. Authorities suspect Hussein may have been radicalized by supporters of the Islamic State militant group while in prison.Hours later, VICE News landed in Copenhagen to investigate the aftermath of the attacks. We attended a nighttime rally of the anti-Islam group PEGIDA and met with Denmark's Chief Rabbi and a representative from pan-Islamic organization Hizb ut-Tahrir, who said that Islamophobia is rising in the Danish capital.Watch "Hate in Europe: Germany's Anti-Islamic Protests"Watch "Intolerance After The Violence: Paris Gun Attack (Dispatch 4)"Read "In Denmark, Jewish and Muslim Communities Fear Fallout from Copenhagen Shootings"
Advertisement