No Bragging Rights

Danish Police Dismiss ISIS Claim of Responsibility in Gun Attack

Say terror group not involved in gun attack it claimed responsibility for.

The Islamic State's claim that a recent shooting in Copenhagen was carried out by "a soldier of the Islamic State" has been dismissed by Danish police. The shooting took place on Thursday, when a gunman allegedly shot two police officers and a bystander during a drug raid. At that time, police identified the shooter as a Danish citizen who appeared to sympathize with Islamic extremists, though they said this didn't play any role in the shooting. The IS-affiliated Aamaq news agency quickly seized on the news, claiming on Friday that the gunman was "a soldier of the Islamic State who carried out the operation in response to calls to target coalition states." On Sunday, however, Copenhagen police officer Michael Anderson said investigators didn't believe "it was an attack ordered by Islamic State." He declined to provide any further details. Experts have long suspected that the Islamic State falsely claims responsibility for attacks it has nothing to do with in order to boost its own reputation among supporters.