The synagogue is located on Crystal Street in central Copenhagen nearby Norreport metro and train station which has been evacuated as police search the vicinity for the suspect. Danish police have asked residents of the area to stay indoors.
Danish police: Not safe to be outside in the central COPENHAGEN right now, reports Danish TV2. #cphshooting
— Morten Frich (@MortenFrich) February 15, 2015
Schießerei nahe Synagoge von Kopenhagen http://t.co/mYKn8athJW #Kopenhagen #LarsVilks #Østerbro
— tagesschau (@tagesschau) February 15, 2015
Schietpartij synagoge #Kopenhagen — Nu ook helikopters in de lucht. http://t.co/GFzIZnbdiM pic.twitter.com/gndRXNYSeO
— NieuwsBlog | Brekend (@nbbrk) February 15, 2015
While residents were asked to stay inside, police could be seen converging en mass to search for suspects.
“@JewishFeed: BREAKING PHOTO —COPENHAGEN: Bus filled with armed forces enter the central Copenhagen area now pic.twitter.com/9sTwF4AsGT” #polqc
— Magicien_de_Riga (@MagicienDeRiga) February 15, 2015
The news comes only hours after an attack at a Copenhagen cafe where a blasphemy debate with Lars Vilks, the author of controversial cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed, and which was also attended by the French Ambassador to Denmark. The debate, inspired by last month's attacks on the Charlie Hedbo magazine in France, was titled "Art, Blasphemy and the Freedom of the Press."
Schietpartij bij synagoge: Bij een synagoge in de Deense hoofdstad Kopenhagen is geschoten. Een persoon is in… http://t.co/FMrs470qjT
— Telegraaf RSS feed (@Telegraaffeed) February 15, 2015
Eyewitnesses claim that the attacker in the earlier incident spoke in Arabic as he was shooting and the police have announced they are investigating it as a terrorist attack.
Police said they could not confirm whether the two attacks were related.