Cartoonist, Synagogue Targeted At Copenhagen; Shooting Mirrors Paris Terror Attacks; Attacks Believed To Be 'Lone Wolf Acts’

A month after Paris was hit with terror attacks killing 17 over controversial newspaper cartoons, Denmark has been hit with a similar attack.  It was a twin attack, where a synagogue was the second location to be targeted by a lone gunman.

A recording obtained exclusively by BBC News revealed a speech in progress followed by several minutes of rapid gunfire from what sounded like an automatic weapon.

Swedish cartoonist, Lars Vilks, a guest at the talks said he was the target of the shooting. He also said he had been threatened by groups for his controversial cartoons.

"I'm not shaken at all by this incident," Vilks was quoted by The Associated Press. "Not the least."

Two people were killed in the separate attacks and three policemen were wounded.  Helle Thorning-Schmidt, the Danish Prime Minister called the attack a "politically motivated" act of terrorism.

She visited the site of the incident to her express her condolences. "When you mercilessly fire deadly bullets at innocent people taking part in a debate, when you attack the Jewish community, you attack our democracy," Thorning-Schmidt said on a visit to the synagogue on Sunday.

"We will do everything possible to protect our Jewish community."

An eyewitness to the shooting, Dennis Myhoff-Brink said in a BBC report that "people were trying to get to the doors, trying to get out of the room, hiding between or behind the tables and chairs, and some people were running out into the street."

The gunman presumably left the scene of the crime on a black Volkswagen. Police later announced after a manhunt that they killed the gunman after the second shooting took place at the synagogue killing a security guard.

The man in question had a long history of crime and was known to Danish police. 

"It was the case that when the suspect was shot and killed during police action, he was armed with pistols." Police commissioner Thorkild Fogde said in a conference. The media reported that the suspect's name was Omar El-Hussein.

Martin Lidegaard Danish Foreign Minister said the attacks were believed to be "lone wolf acts."

"As far as I am informed right now, we are not talking about a foreign fighter who has been abroad fighting in Syria or Iraq. We are talking about a man who was known by the police due to his gang activities, criminal activities inside Denmark - whether he has been radicalized inside jail, where he was just released from, or he has been moving around in these environments before, is yet rather unclear," he said.

"There is a confluence between criminal gangs and extremism which is more pronounced in Denmark than in other countries," said terrorism expert Magnus Ranstorp. "There are gang leaders here who have gone on to participate in the fighting in Syria."