Knife-wielding man arrested after entering Iran embassy in Denmark

Police say man is an Iranian citizen; Tehran complains Danish police slow to react to threat; incident comes amid mounting protests against Islamic Republic

Illustrative: Policemen stand guard as demonstrators gather outside Iran's embassy in Oslo, Norway, Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022, to protest the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in custody in Iran after she was detained by the country’s morality police.(Terje Pedersen/NTB Scanpix via AP)
Illustrative: Policemen stand guard as demonstrators gather outside Iran's embassy in Oslo, Norway, Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022, to protest the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in custody in Iran after she was detained by the country’s morality police.(Terje Pedersen/NTB Scanpix via AP)

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — An Iranian armed with a knife who tried to enter Iran’s embassy in Copenhagen was arrested on Friday, Danish police said, as Tehran’s mission criticized officers’ slow response.

“A 32-year-old Iranian citizen was arrested Friday morning after having breached the grounds of the Iranian embassy in Copenhagen carrying a knife,” Copenhagen police said in a statement.

The man was apprehended by an embassy employee on its grounds before reaching the mission’s building, it added.

The suspect will be brought before a judge on Saturday, who will decide if he should remain in pre-trial detention.

The police said the Iranian man is accused of vandalism, violence and an offence against someone protected by diplomatic status.

The Iranian foreign ministry “strongly criticized” the Danish response.

“It is regrettable that in the heart of Europe, such an attack can be perpetrated against a woman and ambassador who enjoys diplomatic immunity, and that the police are not at the scene in time,” it said in a statement.

Copenhagen police said it had “taken the necessary security measures in regards to the Iranian embassy, its employees, etcetera.”

Iran has faced three weeks of protests since 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died in custody following her arrest in Tehran by the morality police for allegedly breaching the Islamic republic’s strict dress code for women.

There have been rallies worldwide in solidarity with Amini.

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