COPENHAGEN – An Iranian armed with a knife who tried to enter Iran’s embassy in Copenhagen was arrested yesterday, Danish police said, as Tehran’s mission criticised officers’ slow response.
“A 32-year-old Iranian citizen was arrested yesterday morning after having breached the grounds of the Iranian embassy in Copenhagen carrying a knife,” Copenhagen police said in a statement.
The man was apprehended by an embassy employee on its grounds, it added.
The suspect will today be brought before a judge, who will decide if he should remain in pre-trial detention.
Police said the Iranian man is accused of vandalism, violence and an offence against a person protected by diplomatic status.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry “strongly criticised” the Danish police response.
“It is regrettable that in the heart of Europe, such an attack can be perpetrated against a woman and ambassador who enjoys diplomatic immunity, and that the police are not at the scene in time,” it said in a statement.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry later yesterday summoned the Danish ambassador to formally protest against “the lack of security” at the embassy, the official Iranian news agency IRNA reported.
The agency said Tehran stressed it “strongly” expected the Danish government to respect its “obligations” to ensure the mission’s security.
Copenhagen police said they had “taken the necessary security measures with regard to the Iranian embassy and its employees”.
Iran has faced three weeks of protests since 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died in custody following her arrest in Tehran by morality police for allegedly breaching the Islamic republic’s strict dress code for women.
There have been rallies worldwide in solidarity with Amini. – AFP, October 8, 2022
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