Danish PM attack suspect says doesn't recall hitting her

Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (C) arrives to participate in the Ethical Council's debate on active euthanasia at the People's Stage at the People's Meeting 2024 in Allinge on June 14, 2024. [AFP] 

A Polish man accused of punching Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told a Copenhagen court on Tuesday he doesn't recall hitting her because he was under the influence of alcohol.

The suspect, whom Danish authorities have ruled cannot be named in the media, risks prison time and deportation if convicted, with a verdict expected when the trial wraps up on Wednesday.

The 39-year-old, who appeared in the Copenhagen district court wearing a T-shirt and jeans, was immediately apprehended after the alleged assault on June 7 in a Copenhagen square.

He denied responsibility.

Speaking in court, the accused said he remembered coming face-to-face with the prime minister, whom he recognised, but not putting his hand on her.

"I'm standing face to face with Mrs Prime Minister, (then) I can't remember anything else until I am arrested," he testified.

He said he believed the memory loss was the result of alcohol previously consumed starting to take effect, and the surprise of suddenly coming face-to-face with the prime minister.

He also said that the day had been "a bad" one for him but did not provide details.

Frederiksen, 46, underwent a medical examination afterwards and was diagnosed with a "contusion on her right shoulder and a minor whiplash injury", her office said at the time.

'Hard punch'

The man, who has lived in Denmark for five years, has been charged with violence against a public servant for having punched Frederiksen with a "closed fist on the right shoulder", according to the charge sheet.

He has also been charged with several counts of indecent exposure and fraud relating to other incidents.

After the accused, the court heard testimonies from two of Frederiksen's bodyguards and a friend she was on her way to meet for coffee.

One of the bodyguards said there were many people walking in the street when the man approached the prime minister.

"He says something incomprehensible to her. As he passes her, he gives her a hard punch with his fist on her shoulder," the bodyguard told the court.

Following the testimonies about the attack, the court spent the remainder of the day's proceedings dealing with the other charges.

Special prosecutor Anders Larsson also noted at the end of the day that the accused had previously received a number of fines for theft and vandalism.

After the incident, Frederiksen said she was "saddened and shaken" and did not take part in the final day of campaigning for the EU parliament elections in June.

Speaking a week after the attack, Frederiksen said she had sought professional help.

"I have gotten help for the first time in my life," she told Danish television TV2 at a political festival on Denmark's Bornholm island.

Frederiksen became Denmark's youngest-ever head of government when she was elected in 2019, aged 41. She won re-election in 2022.

Widely condemned

Neither the prosecution nor defence called Frederiksen as a witness during the trial.

"It's the prosecution authority's assessment that it is not necessary to call her as a witness," Larsson explained.

"This is an expression of our belief that we can bring the case to a conviction without her giving a statement," the prosecutor added.

Asked by AFP after the day's proceedings whether a political motive had been ruled out, Larsson said he didn't want to go into the accused's explanation.

The accused's lawyer Henrik Karl Nielsen meanwhile said: "We haven't heard anything (in court) today about any political motives."

"He has seen a person whom he knows, a well-known person, and something has happened," Nielsen told AFP.

The attack was widely condemned by leading European politicians, including EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, who called it a "despicable act which goes against everything we believe and fight for in Europe".

It followed a spate of assaults on European politicians from across the political spectrum ahead of the European Parliament elections in June.

On May 15, Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot four times at close range as he greeted supporters after a government meeting.

Several politicians in Germany had been attacked at work or on the campaign trail.