“He was one of my really good friends. I cannot understand why he acted like he did… I want to show that Omar was my friend and that he was not an evil person,” a young man at the site, wishing to remain anonymous, told the Danish BT newspaper.
The man dismissed that the alleged terrorist, 22-year-old Omar Abdel Hamid El-Hussein, could have acted alone, stating that “he must have been brainwashed.”
Earlier on Monday, Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt said that the authorities have “no indications” that the suspected shooter was part of a terrorist group.
“We are here to show his family that it is okay to grieve over the loss of their son. It is not their fault that he acted like he did," two women at the site told the newspaper.
Another man, also refraining from giving his name, told BT that he knows the gunman’s father. “I am quite sure that he must be feeling absolutely terrible right now.”
On Saturday, the suspected gunman killed a man at a free speech seminar in a Copenhagen cafe. The event was attended by Swedish artist Lars Vilks, known for his drawings of the Prophet Muhammad.
Hours later, he shot dead a man near a synagogue, where a Bat Mitzvah was taking place. Several police officers were wounded in the attacks.
The suspected attacker was killed by police early Sunday morning. According to local authorities, El-Hussein had a criminal record and was released from prison two weeks ahead of the attacks.
