Danish PM Frederiksen cancels election events after attack

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen canceled planned election events after being attacked in Copenhagen Friday evening, with only hours left until polls open in Denmark for the European election. 

The prime minister’s office said that the attack “caused minor whiplash,” according to a statement released on Saturday and reported by local media. Overall, the Danish leader is “in good condition, but shaken by the incident,” according to the statement.

Her office said Frederiksen’s planned participation in events on Saturday in Herlev, Rødovre, Roskilde, Holbæk and Slagelse has been canceled, according to the media reports.

A 39-year-old man has been arrested in the assault and will face a hearing in the Copenhagen City Court on Saturday at 1 p.m. local time, the Copenhagen police said in a statement. No further details were given.

The specifics of the incident are unclear, with eyewitnesses telling local media that the attacker gave Frederiksen a strong push.

The assault came shortly before Danes head to the polls in the European Parliament election on Sunday, at a time of heightened tensions following a spate of attacks on politicians across Europe. 

Frederiksen’s Social Democrats party is ahead in the latest polling ahead of Sunday’s election. 

The attack triggered an outpouring of support from senior politicians across the EU.