June 7 (UPI) -- A man assaulted Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Friday in the capital city of Copenhagen.
The incident took place on the Kutorvet, or public square, according to Danish news outlet TV2.
The man reportedly walked up to Frederiksen and hit her while she was walking through the Inner City or Indre By in Dutch, the oldest part of Copenhagen. The punch reportedly did not cause the prime minister to fall to the ground. She recovered at a nearby cafe.
The man was subsequently arrested, and the 46-year-old prime minister was "shocked" by the event, the report read.
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The Copenhagen Police confirmed the incident in a post on X.
"At present, we have no further comments or observations on the case," the post read.
The 39-year-old suspect was scheduled to appear in a Copenhagen courtroom Saturday.
Frederiksen's staff confirmed her events scheduled for Saturday were canceled after the attack.
Her office said she he had been taken to a hospital for a check-up with a "minor whiplash injury".
Several political colleagues took to X to condemn the attack and offer their condolences.
"Something like this must not happen in our beautiful, safe and free country. We all have a responsibility to look after each other and the values our country is built on," Danish Environment Minister Magnus Heunicke posted.
"Let's take a clear and sharp distance and instead move together and take care of each other. Regardless of political disagreements, election campaign, etc. This is ugly and unacceptable."
The attack came two days before Danish voters are supposed to head to the polls in the EU election.
European politicians were quick to offer their support to Frederiksen, who was elected in 2019 as the youngest-ever Danish Prime Minister.
"Dear Mette, I was so shocked at the news of you being assaulted tonight," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X.
"I condemn this despicable act which goes against everything we believe and fight for in Europe. I wish you strength and courage - I know you have plenty of both."
Frederickson served as the Justice Minister of Denmark from 2014 to 2015 before going on to lead the country's center-left Socialist Democratic party.
Violence against political figures of all stripes has been prevalent during the election cycle.
Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico is recovering from an attempted assassination by a gunman. The prime minister on Wednesday said he feels "no hatred" toward his would-be killer and suggested his pro-Russia, anti-NATO stance made him a target.
German Social Democrat European Parliament Member Matthias Ecke was beaten by a teenager while campaigning in Germany.
German police on Tuesday reported an assailant stabbed Heinrich Koch, a far-right Alternative for Germany candidate with a box cutter in the southwest German city of Mannheim.
