Denmark is now investigating two shootings: First, a gunman opened fire on a Copenhagen cultural center, killing one man and wounding three police officers in what authorities called a terror attack against a free-speech event featuring an artist who had caricatured the Prophet Muhammad. After searching for the gunman for hours, police reported another shooting near a synagogue in downtown Copenhagen after midnight. One person was shot in the head and two police officers were shot in the arms and legs, police said, adding it wasn't clear whether the two incidents were linked. The gunman fled on foot.
The shootings come a month after extremists killed 12 people at a satirical newspaper in Paris that had sparked Muslim outrage with its depictions of Muhammad. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the first shooting, which took place shortly before 4pm. Danish police said the gunman used an automatic weapon to shoot through the windows of the Krudttoenden cultural center. Lars Vilks, a Swedish artist who has faced numerous death threats for caricaturing Muhammad, was one of the main speakers at the panel discussion, titled "Art, blasphemy and freedom of expression." He was whisked away by his bodyguards unharmed as the shooting began. (More Copenhagen stories.)