A 27-year-old man from northern Denmark has been detained in a psychiatric facility for planning several attacks on schools.
The man was found guilty of attempted murder and will be held in detention for at least five years.
The defendant had spoken online about his hatred of women online and had been declared mentally unstable by a psychiatric report.
He told the district court in Aalborg that he went on two reconnaissance trips in April and May 2018 to different schools in Aarhus, Denmark’s second-largest city.
The court said the man had written down his plans in detail and had described his urge to kill in a video diary. The man was also a member of a shooting club and legally owned two handguns and munition.
“He had acquired the necessary equipment and had made necessary research,” said Judge Helle Dietz, according to Danish broadcaster DR.
“His claim that it was a fantasy must be regarded as unbelievable,” he added, saying it was clear the defendant had planned to “commit murder”.
He was also found guilty of illegal weapon possession for carrying a loaded gun on a bus.
The man was arrested in December 2020, three days after he had placed an online order to buy an assault rifle on the dark web.
DR said the man had been active in an internet forum that was lauding terror and school shootings for several years.
School shootings are rare in Denmark — the most recent taking place at Aarhus University in 1994 when a gunman killed two women and injured two others before committing suicide.
