Danish officer shot outside police station near Copenhagen


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COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A gunman shot a Danish policeman in the head Tuesday outside a police station in suburban Copenhagen, briefly prompting security outside police stations to be stepped up across the country, authorities said.

The 26-year-old man, who is believed to have acted alone, was arrested after the 8:20 a.m. shooting outside the Albertslund police station, west of Copenhagen, said Kim Christiansen, head of the suburban police district.

The suspect, who was not identified in line with Danish practice, ran away on foot and was arrested several kilometers (miles) away, said Mogens Lauridtsen, another senior officer.

The policeman was shot in the head and was in a serious but not in life-threatening condition, Lauridtsen said. The motive for the shooting was not known, he added.

The alleged shooter faces a pre-trial court hearing Wednesday for attempted murder of the policeman on the canine squad.

"It's a dark day for all of us when those who are supposed to protect us are attacked," Justice Minister Soeren Pape Poulsen said.

TV video showed officers in bulletproof vests with handguns and automatic weapons outside the Albertslund and Copenhagen police stations.

Denmark's National Police said security at all police stations had been increased, then later withdrew the exceptional measures.

The attack was the second such shooting in recent months. In September, a man shot two police officers — seriously wounding one — and a bystander in a Copenhagen neighborhood known for its hashish trade. The shooter, hit by a police bullet, eventually died.

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JAN M. OLSEN

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