Copenhagen shooting: 22-year-old suspect taken into custody in psychiatric unit
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen pays tribute to the victims of the Copenhagen shooting on July 4, 2022. AP - Sergei Grits
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The alleged perpetrator of the massacre committed on Sunday July 3 in a Copenhagen shopping center was placed in psychiatric detention on Monday.
His mental health is now at the heart of the investigation.
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Dressed in a blue t-shirt, the suspect arrested shortly after the shooting was presented to a court judge in the Danish capital, who served him with charges for three murders, including that of two teenagers, and seven attempted murders .
After two hours of hearing, his provisional detention was ordered for 24 days renewable, but in a “closed psychiatric unit”.
At the request of the prosecutor and with the agreement of the defence, the decision is accompanied by an examination of his mental state.
Police announced on Monday morning that the suspect, described as an "
ethnic
" Dane, was known to have a "
psychiatric history
".
According to the national radio and television DR, citing several anonymous sources, the alleged shooter tried to join a psychological help line shortly before the facts, which the authorities did not want to confirm.
The attack, committed mainly with a rifle, killed three people and injured 30
, four of them seriously, in a large shopping center, Fields, located between the center of Copenhagen and the airport of the capital.
The drama shattered a festive weekend in the Scandinavian country, between the jubilation of the Tour de France and the return of the giant Roskilde music festival after two years of cancellations due to Covid.
Videos of the suspect on social networks
"
I believe that we have rarely experienced such a violent contrast as yesterday
," acknowledged Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who came to pay tribute to the victims at the scene Monday at noon.
"
Naturally, very justified discussions will emerge
(...)
in connection with the weapons used, in connection with psychiatry
(...)
But today, I find that we must pay tribute to the victims, show our sympathy, our help and our support, and support all those who have been affected
, ”she said in front of the cameras.
Copenhagen City Hall has announced that it is preparing a tribute to the victims.
The police confirmed on Monday morning that they considered authentic videos of the suspect circulating since Sunday evening on social networks.
The 22-year-old – whose identity is known, but not made public – appears there posing with weapons, miming suicide gestures with a rifle and a pistol.
He also mentions a treatment with a powerful drug prescribed in psychiatry "
which does not work
".
The suspect's YouTube and Instagram accounts were deactivated overnight, but the videos, posted Friday according to Danish media, are still circulating on other accounts.
(
With
AFP)
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