Denmark honours shooting victims with massive vigil

Tens of thousands of Danes have gathered for a vigil in central Copenhagen to commemorate the victims of two shootings that heightened fears of more attacks.

Citizens in what is usually one of the world’s most peaceful countries flocked to a rally on Monday in a square near the cultural centre where the first attack took place.

The first victim, 55-year-old film-maker Finn Norgaard, was killed when a gunman opened fire during a debate on free speech on Saturday.

The same attacker then targeted the city’s main synagogue, killing 37-year-old Dan Uzan.

Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt said Danes had come together to “insist on living free and safe lives in a democratic country”.

“When others try to scare us and tear us apart, our response is always a strong community,” she declared.

The 22-year-old attacker was killed by police in a shootout on Sunday.

He was said to have been released from prison just two weeks ago after serving a term for aggravated assault.

Two suspects were charged on Monday with helping the gunman dispose of his weapon and giving him somewhere to hide, the lawyer of one of the men, Michael Juul Eriksen, told the AFP news agency.

He said the unnamed men denied the charges “completely”.