Denmark Indicts Man in Knife Attack on Iran Ambassador

Date: 24 June 2023 - 21:45

News ID: ۱۱۶۴۷۷

COPENHAGEN (Dispatches) -- A knife-wielding assailant who intruded into the Iranian embassy compound in Copenhagen with the intent to assassinate the ambassador last October has been finally indicted by a Danish prosecutor.
The 33-year-old assailant has been charged with aggravated assault against Iran’s Ambassador Afsaneh Nadipour as well as inflicting property damage on the embassy building and automobiles, according to a statement released by the prosecutor’s office, which further noted that Denmark’s justice minister has accepted the charges brought against the suspect.
The assailant entered the embassy compound on October 7, 2022 and tried to attack and seriously harm the female Iranian ambassador by rushing towards her with a knife, injuring a local employee of the diplomatic post who tried to stop him.
According to the prosecutor’s statement, the attempted assault on Mrs. Nadipour was thwarted by an embassy employee and the suspect was then arrested by the Copenhagen police and has since remained in custody.
The statement said the inability of a foreign diplomat in Denmark to perform his or her duties without fear of being physically attacked is a very serious matter and totally unacceptable, adding under such circumstances, the diplomat – by law -- must come under police protection.
Following the incident last October,

Iran’s Foreign Minister Hussein Amir-Abdollahian called the Iranian ambassador in Copenhagen and expressed serious regret that a lady and an ambassador with diplomatic immunity would come under such attack in the heart of Europe without timely police presence and interference.

Denmark’s ambassador to Iran was then summoned to the Iranian foreign ministry and handed a formal protest for failure to provide security for Tehran’s embassy and diplomats in accordance with the Vienna Convention.

The ambassador extended his country’s apology, promising that security measures for the Iranian embassy would be upgraded.

The Danish police have stated that they would investigate the attack in collaboration with the country’s security and intelligence services.