More Killings.... Now In Denmark.

Denmark is in lockdown after two shootings occurred in the
capital of Copenhagen less than 10 hours apart. A massive
manhunt is underway after two men were killed, and five others
were injured in the attack.


Just after 5 a.m. local time Sunday, police officers also shot and
killed a man in a gun battle near Nørrebro Station in
Copenhagen, according to a police press statement. The
residence where the shooting took place was under observation
by police when a man arrived and fired at police. Police are
investigating if the person is related to the deadly shootings.


On Saturday afternoon the first shooting took place when a
gunman opened fire at an event held to discuss religion and
freedom of speech in Copenhagen. The event included cartoonist
Lars Vilks, a Swedish artist who had previously been targeted for
his drawings of the Prophet Muhammad. One civilian died and
three police officer were injured in that attack.

In the second shooting at 1:30 a.m. local time on Sunday, a
gunman targeted a Copenhagen synagogue, one man was shot
in the head and two officers were shot in their limbs, according
to authorities. Police confirmed in a press conference early
Sunday morning one of the victims has since died.
In both instances, the gunman escaped. A massive manhunt is in
progress, with residents told to stay inside and taxis going in
and out of the capital being searched by authorities. Police told
the media "it is too early to tell" if the two incidents are related,
and they currently "don’t know the exact number of persons"
involved.

The shooting comes a little more than a month after gunmen
stormed the offices of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo
and killed 12 people , including numerous cartoonists who had
caused controversy by depicting Muhammad.
Inna Shevchenko, an activist who had been speaking at the
event, tweeted that gunshots had rung out as she discussed
freedom of speech.

Police have reportedly ringed off part of Østerbro, a residential
area of Copenhagen where the panel had taken place. Early
reports indicate that metal detectors at the entrance of the venue
may have stopped the shooters and prevented them from
entering.
The French ambassador to Denmark had been on the panel as
well, and tweeted that he was safe. Still alive in the room

For years, Vilks has been among the cartoonists at the center of
an ongoing dispute over the depiction of Muhammad, the most
important prophet of the religion of Islam. Some Muslims
consider representations of Muhammad blasphemous.
Vilks is an artist who has worked in paint and sculpture, with
much of his work creating some controversy. Vilks first drew the
ire of Muslims in 2007 when a drawing he made that depicted
Muhammad as a dog appeared in Swedish newspapers, drawing
strong rebukes from Muslims around the world. He began to
receive death threats, including from al-Qaeda, which put a
$150,000 bounty on his head and added him to their "most
wanted" list. As a result, Vilks was assigned a security detail.
The cartoonist has continued to remain a target. Authorities
have stopped two separate assassination plots that targeted
Vilks. In 2010, his home was the target of a suspected arson
attack .
This is not the first time he has been attacked in public. In 2010,
he was head-butted during a presentation on free speech.