Scanpix Denmark/Reuters
The AP is reporting that the suspected gunman behind the weekend attacks in Copenhagen, which left two innocent people dead, was released from jail just two weeks ago.
According to a source close to the Danish investigation, the slain suspect has been identified as Omar Abdel Hamid El-Hussein. The source told the AP that he may have become radicalized in jail and said that corrections officials noticed changes in El-Hussein's behavior last summer that "set off alarm bells." The 22-year-old had a history of violence and a record for weapons offenses and links to a criminal gang. The Danish-born suspect was killed early Sunday in a firefight with a SWAT team.
The gunman opened fire at a free speech seminar featuring an artist who had caricatured the Prophet Muhammad and later shot at security officials outside a synagogue, according to police. A Danish filmmaker and a security guard were killed during the attacks while five police officers were injured. Authorities believe the gunman could have been inspired by the Islamic militant attacks in Paris that left 17 people dead, according to Jens Madsen, head of the Danish intelligence agency PET.
Danish police also arrested two men who are suspected of serving as accomplices to the gunman. Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt said there is no indication the gunman was part of a wider cell, but added, "We will, of course, in the coming time evaluate our fight against radicalization. We are already doing a lot."