German Parade Canceled Over Terror Threat In Wake Of Copenhagen Shooting

A parade in the northern German city of Braunschweig was canceled Sunday because of a “concrete threat of attack with an Islamist background,” police said, according to Reuters. The cancellation came hours after Danish police shot dead a man they believed carried out twin terrorist attacks at a cafe and synagogue in Copenhagen this weekend.

According to Jens Madsen, head of the Danish Security and Intelligence Service, the Copenhagen killer “may have been inspired by militant Islamist propaganda issued by IS [Islamic State] and other terror organizations.”

The dead suspect has not yet been named, but police confirmed he was “on the radar” of intelligence services. A photograph of the suspect released during the manhunt that followed the shootings showed a man with a winter coat and maroon mask, Reuters reported.

The first of the attacks in Copenhagen began Saturday at 3:30 p.m. local time (9:30 a.m. EST) when shots rang out at the Krudttonden cafe where an event featuring the controversial Swedish artist Lars Vilks was taking place. Filmmaker Finn Norgaard was hit and killed.

Vilks, who was unharmed, was believed to be the intended target. He has received death threats in the past for depicting the Prophet Muhammad in cartoons. “What other motive could there be? It’s possible [the attack] was inspired by Charlie Hebdo,” Vilks told the Guardian.

The second of the attacks in the Danish capital started Sunday about 1 a.m. (7 p.m. EST), when shots were fired outside a synagogue on Krystalgade. One of its security guards, Dan Uzan, was killed. Two police officers were also shot there, but their injuries were not life-threatening. A total of five police officers were wounded in the two attacks.

Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt said Sunday the nation had “experienced a series of hours we will never forget,” according to CNN. She added: “We have tasted the ugly taste of fear and powerlessness that terror would like to create. But we have also, as a society, answered back.”