Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was attacked on Friday evening in a busy Copenhagen square in an attack that left her “shaken”, her office said, although she was able to walk away. Police said they had made an arrest.
“We have a suspect in custody and are now investigating the matter,” Copenhagen police said, without further comment. The motive for the attack is unclear.
The prime minister's office released a statement saying she was “beaten,” several media outlets reported, but it was unclear what injuries she suffered.
Several Danish politicians have expressed their concern over the incident.
“Mette is naturally shocked by the attack,” Magnus Heunicke, Denmark's environment minister, wrote in X. “I must say that she shakes all of us who are close to her.”
Ms. Frederiksen, 46, has been prime minister since 2019. She leads the center-left Social Democrats.
The attack occurred just days before Danes voted in the European Union elections.
The assault also resonated beyond Denmark's borders, with the support of the prime ministers of Finland and Sweden. This happened not even a month after Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was seriously injured in an assassination attempt which he survived.
Ms Frederiksen was in Normandy on Thursday and gave a speech during commemorations marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day. She honored the sacrifices of Danish soldiers and extolled the virtues of freedom, saying: “Freedom is not an inheritance. Freedom is a fight, a fight, a fight. Everyday. Hourly. Right now.”
Kali Soto contributed to the reporting.