The Week moon, condemned the Copenhagen attacks. French President Francois Hollande visited the Danish Embassy in Paris on Sunday, and hundreds gathered outside to show solidarity with victims. Many held candles or banners. “We need to stand together in Europe and ... wherever jihadis try
to threaten democracy,” said Sacha Reingewirtz, president of the Union of Jewish Students of France and an organizer of the memorial. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu harshly denounced the attack and said his government will encourage a “massive immigration” of Jews from Europe. “Jews deserve security in every country, but we say
to our Jewish brothers and sisters, Israel is your home,” Netanyahu said at the start of a Cabinet meeting. U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki offered Washington’s help to Danish authorities and said Americans “stand united with the people of Denmark and all others who defend the universal right of freedom of speech and stand against
THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME FEBRUARY 19, 2015
Associated Press he believed he was the intended target. Many Muslims find the depiction of the Prophet Muhammad highly offensive. However, being insulted does not justify killing and many Muslims expressed disgust at the deadly assault on the Charlie Hebdo employees although they confessed that they were deeply offended by the caricatures. Omar Abdel Hamid El-Hussein, 22, had a criminal record and links to gangs. Danish authorities believe that the Charlie Hebdo massacre in Paris last month may have been an inspiration for the lone madman. Jens Madsen, head of the Danish intelligence agency PET, said investigators believe the gunman “could have been inspired by the events in Paris.” He also mentioned, “He could also have been inspired by material sent out by [the Islamic State group] and others.” El-Hussein was arrested 15 months ago in a vicious knife attack on a train passenger, and while he was awaiting trial, a change in his behavior last summer set off enough “alarm bells” for jail authorities to alert PET, Denmark’s counter-terror agency. These warnings generally set in motion counter-radicalization efforts, such as counseling in jail. It wasn’t immediately clear how aware the court was of this issue before El-Hussein was convicted of a lesser charge and sentenced to time already served. He was released two weeks ago. The murderer was killed during a gun battle with a SWAT team early Sunday morning. Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt mourned the two innocent individuals murdered and promised to offer more protection for freedom of speech and Denmark’s Jewish community. “Denmark has been hit by terror,” Thorning-Schmidt said. “We do not know the motive for the alleged perpetrator’s actions, but we know that there are forces that want to hurt Denmark. They want to rebuke our freedom of speech.” World leaders, including British Prime Minister David Cameron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-
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