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3 dead after shooting at shopping mall in Copenhagen; one arrested
The Copenhagen police had tweeted that teams of officers had been sent to the mall after reports of a shooting. They advised people inside the mall to stay put and await police assistance.
Three people have been killed following a shooting incident at a shopping centre in Denmark's capital Copenhagen on Sunday, Danish Police said. A 22-year-old Danish man was arrested in connection with the incident and cops said they could not rule out it was an “act of terrorism”.
"There are several injured, and what we also know now is that there are several dead," chief police inspector Soren Thomassen told journalists, adding that police had launched a massive search operation throughout the local Zealand region.
The Copenhagen police had tweeted that teams of officers had been sent to the mall after reports of a shooting. They advised people inside the mall to stay put and await police assistance.
Police, however, said that there was currently no indication about other shooters being present, Reuters reported.
An eyewitness namely Rikke Levandovski told broadcaster TV2 that people at the mall first thought “it was a thief”. “Then I suddenly hear shots and threw myself behind the counter inside the store,” she added.
"He is just shooting into the crowd, not up in ceiling or into the floor," she told TV2.
Following the incident, the Royal House said on its website late on Sunday that an event in southern Denmark to commemorate the end of the first three stages of the Tour de France cycling race, hosted by the Danish Crown Prince and with Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in attendance, had been cancelled.
According to Reuters, heavily armed police officers could be seen at the scene, as well as people running out of the mall.
British singer Harry Styles was due to perform later at 8pm, at a concert venue less than a mile from the crime scene. The concert promoter Live Nation was not available for comment.
On Snapchat, Styles wrote: "My team and I pray for everyone involved in the Copenhagen shopping mall shooting. I am shocked. Love H.”
An investigation is underway.
(With inputs from agencies)
