Danish police examine suspicious package at Israeli Embassy in Copenhagen

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Police were examining a suspicious package sent to the Israeli Embassy in Denmark’s capital, authorities said Thursday.

Danish public broadcaster DR showed photos of several police and emergency vehicles near the embassy in Copenhagen, including what they reported was a hazmat emergency response team vehicle. Several police officers, heavily armed soldiers and men in dark green hazmat suits and gas masks were shown standing behind a cordoned-off area near a white building in the Hellerup neighborhood in north Copenhagen.

Copenhagen police wrote on X that “we are present at the Israeli Embassy, where we are investigating a shipment received.” They added that “we currently have no further information.” Police also said that they blocked off roads near the embassy.

Later on Thursday afternoon, police posted on X that “we are still present around the embassy. We will be for a few more hours until we have finished investigating the situation.”

Anders Frederiksen, duty chief at the Copenhagen Police, told Danish daily Ekstra Bladet that “ordinary citizens in the area should not be worried.” He added that the investigation was taking place inside the embassy building after employees there alerted police.

Frederiksen declined to comment on the contents of the suspicious shipment.

A spokesperson reached by phone at the press department of the Israeli Embassy in Copenhagen said that he couldn’t comment on the situation.

Security officials in many European countries have increased surveillance and protection of Israeli and Jewish institutions after a 12-day war broke out between Israel and Iran in June.

Last week, security officers arrested a man in the Danish city of Aarhus on suspicion of gathering information on Jewish locations and individuals in Germany for Iranian intelligence.

German federal prosecutors said the man was tasked by an Iranian intelligence service early this year with gathering information on “Jewish localities and specific Jewish individuals” in Berlin. They didn’t elaborate.

He spied on three properties in June, “presumably in preparation of further intelligence activities in Germany, possibly including terrorist attacks on Jewish targets,” prosecutors said.

German Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig said that “if this suspicion is confirmed, we are dealing with an outrageous operation,” adding in a statement that “the protection of Jewish life has the highest priority for the German government.”

Germany has requested the extradition of the suspect.