Copenhagen: The suspected gunman in two fatal shootings in Copenhagen may have been inspired by the Islamist attacks in Paris a month ago, Danish police said Sunday. The man, who was killed in a shootout with police earlier in the day, "may have been inspired by the events that took place in Paris a few weeks ago," Jens Madsen from the Security and Intelligence Service told reporters.
The man may "generally have been inspired by militant Islamist propaganda issued by IS (Islamic State) and other terror organisations," Madsen said. Police also said that the man had been "on the radar" of the intelligence service before the shootings.
Madsen added that police have not yet ascertained if the man had travelled to conflict zones, "including Syria and Iraq," but he said it was at "the absolute centre of investigations." Police were still carrying out search operations in different areas of Copenhagen on Sunday, Madsen said.
The suspected gunman is believed by police to have been the sole perpetrator behind two separate shooting in Copenhagen Saturday and early Sunday, each leaving one person dead. The first attack targeted a cultural centre hosting a debate on Islam and free speech and the second attack was on a synagogue.
