Two attacks and two deaths in Denmark

A second shooting in Copenhagen, Denmark, has resulted in the death of one civilian and the wounding of two police officers, according to multiple reports.

The second shooting comes only hours after another attack, also in the Danish capital, claimed the life of one man, a 40-year-old who has not yet been publicly identified.

The distance between the locations of the shootings is about three miles, according to the BBC. 

The first shooting occurred at a cafe and cultural center where a debate about free speech was being held. 

{mosads}Among the organizers was Lars Vilks, a Swedish cartoonist who has received death threats in the past because of his portrayals of the Prophet Muhammad. The French ambassador to Denmark, Francois Zimeray, was among the speakers. 

Neither man appears to have been harmed in the attack.

The second shooting occurred in the vicinity of a synagogue, a fact that has heightened speculation that the two attacks may be related. However, that had not been confirmed as of late Saturday evening, U.S. Eastern Time.

Danish authorities quickly interpreted the earlier shooting as a terrorist attack, in part because of the high-profile of Vilks. 

The New York Times reported that, on Saturday evening, Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt said, of the deadly events at the cafe, “We feel certain now that it was a politically motivated attack, and thereby it was a terrorist attack.”

The Times also reported that at least 30 rounds had been fired in the first attack.

The earlier attack appears to have been mounted by only one gunman, despite initial reports that there may have been two attackers. 

The later killing near the synagogue appears also to be the work of one person. No suspect has been apprehended in either case.

On Saturday evening, a spokeswoman for the U.S. National Security Council, Bernadette Meehan, said that the United States considered the first attack “deplorable.”

Meehan’s statement continued, “We offer our condolences to the loved ones of the deceased victim, and our thoughts are with those wounded.”

The statement appears to have been released before news of the second attack had emerged.

The events in Copenhagen come approximately one month after gunmen shot dead 12 people at the Paris offices of Charlie Hebdo, a satirical publication.

Laura Barron-Lopez contributed.