Denmark Marks Anniversary of Islamic Terror Attack, Remembers Victims

A year after an Islamic terrorist carried out an attack, killing two, the country’s citizens reflect on the attack’s ramifications as they face future challenges.

Thousands gathered in Copenhagen on Sunday and honored the two victims of the Islamic terrorist attacks carried out by a jihadist gunman at a cultural center and the Danish capital’s main synagogue a year ago, with flowers, speeches and a torchlight parade.

Before addressing a special parliamentary session on Sunday, Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen laid flowers in memory of filmmaker Finn Noergaard, who was killed at a free-speech event, and Dan Uzan, a 37-year-old Israeli and volunteer guard who protected a Bat Mitzvah party at the synagogue.

Both men were shot dead by Omar El-Hussein, a 22-year-old Dane with a history of violence and gang connections, who also wounded five policemen before being killed in a shootout by a special police unit.

It was later revealed that he had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (ISIS) terror organization before carrying out the attack.

Uzan was later elected Dane of the Year 2015.

Rasmussen said that despite threats from extremists, Danes should “insist on continuing their lives.

“We must live in harmony…must protect democracy and tradition which we have had for years in Denmark, to live side by side even if we believe in a different God. We are in a situation where there is still a serious terror threat against Denmark – that is unchanged. But it is also a situation where we have acted.

“We have equipped our intelligence service, we have equipped our police,” the prime minister declared.

The day of commemoration closed after dark when some 2,000 people walked in silence along the 3.6-kilometer-long route between the two locations of the attacks, which was lit by a chain of 1,800 candles.

By: AP and United with Israel Staff