Several hit by gunshots, one arrested at Copenhagen mall: Danish police

Capital's main hospital receives a 'small group of patients' for treatment from the incident

COPENHAGEN:

Danish police said several people had been hit by gunshots and one person had been arrested at a shopping centre in the capital Copenhagen on Sunday, in an attack which the mayor of the city described as "very serious".

The capital's main hospital, Rigshospitalet, had received a "small group of patients" for treatment from the incident, possibly more than three, a spokesman told Reuters. It had called in extra staff, including surgeons and nurses, the spokesman added.

Copenhagen police tweeted that officers had been sent to Field's mall after reports of a shooting, and asked people to send footage and other relevant details from the scene.

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Copenhagen's police will host a press briefing about the shooting at 8.45 p.m. (1845 GMT).

"We do not yet know for sure how many are injured or dead, but it is very serious," Lord Mayor of Copenhagen, Sophie Haestorp Andersen, said in a post on Facebook.

Local media published images showing heavily armed police officers at the scene, as well as people running out of the mall. Footage published by tabloid Ekstra Bladet showed one person being carried by rescue workers into an ambulance on a stretcher.

The police did not provide further information about the arrest, or say how many had been injured. They advised people inside the centre to stay put and await police assistance, and asked other people to stay away from the area.

An event in Southern Denmark to commemorate the end of the first three stages of the Tour de France cycling race, hosted by the Danish Crown Prince and with Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in attendance, had been cancelled late on Sunday, the Royal House said on its website.

British singer Harry Styles was due to perform later in the evening, at 8 p.m. (1800 GMT), at a concert venue less than a mile from the mall.

The concert will go ahead as scheduled after close dialogue with the police, and half of the audience has already entered the venue, the concert promoter Live Nation said in an emailed comment to Reuters.