Denmark is on high alert after a
gunman in Copenhagen killed one person and injured three others at a
debate on blasphemy and free speech attended by a controversial Swedish
cartoonist.
Several dozen shots were fired at the seminar and a manhunt is now under way.
Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt described it as a "politically motivated" act of terrorism.
Cartoonist Lars Vilks, who has faced death threats over his caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad, was unhurt.
Police initially believed there had been two suspects, but later said they were searching for a lone gunman.
They released a photograph showing the alleged attacker apparently wearing a purple balaclava and thick puffer jacket.
The three injured were police officers.
Photograph of the alleged gunman released by police
An audio recording, obtained exclusively by the BBC, revealed the moments leading up to the attack.
One
of the speakers at the debate, which took place at a cafe and concerned
the limits of free speech, is suddenly interrupted by a barrage of
gunshots.
Eyewitness Niels Ivar Larsen, speaking to the Associated
Press news agency, said: "I heard someone firing with an automatic
weapon and someone shouting.
"Police returned fire and I hid behind the bar."
The French ambassador, Francois Zimeray, was also present during the attack.
Shortly after the shooting, a message appeared on his Twitter feed saying he was still alive.
Strict security
The
debate was described on a personal website of Lars Vilks as a talk on
whether any limits should be placed on artistic expression or freedom of
speech.
Media captionEyewitness Dennis Myhoff-Brink: "We heard...20 or 30 shots...and a person yelling something in Arabic"
A
description of the event asked whether artists could "dare" to be
blasphemous in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo terror attacks by Islamist
gunmen in Paris last month.
In an indication of the threat faced
by the cartoonist, a note was included on the website saying there was
always "strict security" whenever he spoke in public.
An organiser
of Saturday's event, Helle Merete Brix, told BBC World TV it was being
guarded by armed police and security agents from the Danish intelligence
service, as well as Mr Vilks' own bodyguards.
She said she clearly considered the incident an attack on Mr Vilk.
Forensic police officers work at the scene
Police are guarding the area near the attack
Lars Vilks stoked controversy in 2007 by drawing pictures of the Prophet Muhammad dressed as a dog.
In 2010 two brothers tried to burn down the cartoonist's house in southern Sweden and were imprisoned for attempted arson.
Satirists
targeting Islam have been in the spotlight since the January attacks in
France, when 17 people were killed in separate incidents over a
three-day period.
French President Francois Hollande said Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve would visit the Danish capital as soon as possible.
A message from the president's official Twitter feed said Mr Hollande expressed his solidarity with Denmark's prime minister.
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