Gunman 'not part of terror cell'

"We have no indication at this stage that he was part of a cell, but we will of course in the coming time evaluate our fight against radicalization," Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt said during a press conference on Monday.

She described the weekend attacks on a cultural center and synagogue, which left two people dead, as clear acts of terrorism.

"This is not a conflict between Islam and the West, this is not a conflict between Muslims and non-Muslims. This is a conflict between the core values of our society and violent extremists," Thorning-Schmidt said. "We are not alone in this struggle."

Fifty-five-year-old Danish documentary filmmaker Finn Noergaard was killed when the gunman opened fire during a free speech event at the cultural center on Saturday evening. Several hours later, a Jewish security officer was shot dead outside a Copenhagen synagogue. The alleged perpetrator, who has been identified by Danish media as 22-year-old Omar El-Hussein, was killed in a pre-dawn shootout with police on Sunday. Five policemen were wounded.

Two suspects in custody

Later on Sunday, police carried out a series of raids, including an operation at an Internet café in the inner city district of Noerrebro, where the gunman was allegedly seen hours before the first attack.

Two men were arrested during the Internet café raid, and on Monday they were remanded in custody for 10 days, charged with aiding and abetting the perpetrator.

According to Michael Juul Eriksen, one of the men's defense attorneys, they are accused of helping the gunman hide from authorities and get rid of his weapon following the shootings.

"They are denying that completely," Eriksen said.

Prosecutors had initially asked a judge to place the suspects - who cannot be named for legal reasons - into solitary confinement for four weeks.

Day of mourning

A day of mourning was being observed across Denmark on Monday, with flags flying at half mast in several cities. The prime ministers of Denmark and Sweden are expected to join thousands of people at memorials in Copenhagen later in the evening.

World leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister David Cameron, have condemned the attacks. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also decried the shootings, and said his government encouraged a "massive immigration" of Jews from Europe.

A spokesman for the Jewish Community in Denmark, Jeppe Juhl, said while he was grateful for Netanyahu's concern, "we're Danish Jews but we're Danish, and it won't be terror that makes us go to Israel."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Monday that her government will do everything possible to ensure Jewish sites in Germany were secure. "We are glad and thankful that there is Jewish life in Germany again," Merkel said in Berlin. "And we would like to continue living well together with the Jews who are in Germany today."

nm/msh (AP, Reuters, AFP)