Mahdi Al-Wazni became one of the eyewitnesses whose accounts helped document the terrifying events of July 3, 2022, when a gunman opened fire inside Field's shopping centre in Copenhagen, Denmark. Al-Wazni told Danish broadcaster TV2 that he saw the armed man behaving aggressively and even heard him claim that his rifle was not real while Al-Wazni was recording him. The attack killed three people, including two teenagers and a 47-year-old Russian man, while dozens of others were injured or affected by the ensuing panic. The shooting also forced the cancellation of a Harry Styles concert scheduled at the nearby Royal Arena, where thousands of fans had already gathered. The perpetrator was subsequently convicted of three killings and multiple attempted killings. Rather than receiving a conventional prison sentence, he was ordered to remain in a secure psychiatric facility without a predetermined release date.
Who Is Mahdi Al-Wazni?
Mahdi Al-Wazni is an eyewitness who was interviewed by Danish media following the July 2022 shooting at Field's shopping centre in Copenhagen.
He attracted international attention after describing his encounter with the gunman to TV2, one of Denmark's major television broadcasters.
According to Al-Wazni, the suspect appeared extremely aggressive and seemed proud of his actions.
Al-Wazni was also recording the armed man when the suspect spoke to him and claimed that the rifle was not real.
His account became part of the international coverage of the attack, providing a firsthand description of the suspect's behaviour inside the shopping centre.
It is important to distinguish Al-Wazni from the perpetrator: he was a witness to the shooting, not the person responsible for the killings.
What Happened at Field's Shopping Centre in Copenhagen?
The shooting occurred on Sunday, July 3, 2022, at Field's shopping centre in Ørestad, an area in the southern part of Copenhagen, Denmark.
Field's is one of Denmark's largest shopping complexes, featuring numerous retail stores, restaurants and entertainment facilities.
The centre attracts families, tourists and young people, particularly on weekends.
On the afternoon of the attack, shoppers were going about their normal activities when gunshots suddenly rang out inside the building.
The shooting began at approximately 5:33 p.m. local time.
Witnesses described hearing multiple loud bangs before people began running through the shopping centre in search of safety.
Some shoppers escaped through emergency exits, while others hid inside shops, storage rooms, offices and toilets.
Several people were trapped inside the building for extended periods while police searched the complex.
As reports of the shooting spread, heavily armed officers surrounded the shopping centre and began evacuating people from the area.
Mahdi Al-Wazni Described His Encounter With the Gunman
One of the most disturbing eyewitness accounts came from Mahdi Al-Wazni, who told TV2 that he had seen the gunman moving through the shopping centre.
Al-Wazni described the man as extremely violent and angry.
While recording the suspect, he said the gunman spoke directly to him and claimed that the rifle was not real.
Al-Wazni said the man appeared proud of what he was doing.
The exchange was particularly disturbing because the suspect appeared to be attempting to manipulate or reassure people despite carrying a firearm during an active shooting.
Other witnesses also described unusual behaviour by the gunman, including attempts to approach people and make them believe that his weapon was harmless.
These accounts became important elements of the public understanding of the attack, although police ultimately determined that the victims appeared to have been selected randomly.
Three People Were Killed in the Field's Shooting
The attack left three people dead.
Copenhagen police identified the victims as a 17-year-old Danish boy, a 17-year-old Danish girl and a 47-year-old Russian man living in Denmark.
The deaths shocked the country, particularly because two of the victims were teenagers.
Four other people initially received treatment for gunshot wounds, including Danish and Swedish citizens. Several were reported to be in critical but stable condition.
However, the total number of people affected was considerably higher because many shoppers were injured while fleeing the gunfire.
Medical and police reports subsequently documented numerous additional injuries associated with the panic and evacuation.
Some survivors suffered cuts, bruises and other injuries after falling, colliding with other shoppers or escaping through crowded areas.
Emergency responders also provided assistance to people experiencing severe psychological distress following the incident.
Who Were the Victims?
The three people killed represented different generations and backgrounds.
The youngest victims were two Danish teenagers, both 17 years old.
The third victim was a 47-year-old Russian man who lived in Denmark.
Police initially withheld some personal details while notifying relatives and conducting the investigation.
The deaths deeply affected the victims' families and the wider community, particularly in a country where mass shootings are relatively uncommon.
Authorities emphasized that there was no evidence that the victims had been individually selected because of their identities or personal relationships with the gunman.
Who Was the Copenhagen Shopping Mall Shooter?
The perpetrator was a 22-year-old Danish man when he was arrested on July 3, 2022.
Danish authorities initially withheld his name under a court reporting restriction, a practice used in certain criminal proceedings in Denmark.
He was arrested shortly after the shooting, outside the Field's shopping centre, during a major police operation.
Officers recovered a rifle and a knife from him. Investigators also examined his access to additional firearms, which had been obtained illegally.
Police said the suspect was already known to mental health services before the attack.
Authorities investigated his psychiatric history, online activities and access to weapons as part of the criminal investigation.
Although several possible motives were examined, police said there was no evidence establishing that the attack was terrorism-related.
Investigators also found no evidence that he had acted with accomplices.
Was the Copenhagen Mall Shooting a Terrorist Attack?
In the immediate aftermath, authorities investigated whether the shooting could have been politically or ideologically motivated.
However, Copenhagen police said they had no evidence supporting a terrorism motive.
Investigators described the victims as apparently random targets and believed the perpetrator had acted alone.
The suspect's history of contact with mental health services also became an important part of the investigation.
Authorities examined his psychiatric condition and previous behaviour to understand the circumstances leading to the attack.
It is important not to confuse the absence of an established terrorism motive with the absence of criminal responsibility. The perpetrator was subsequently found guilty of multiple serious offences.
Harry Styles' Copenhagen Concert Was Cancelled
One of the most widely reported consequences of the shooting was the cancellation of Harry Styles' scheduled concert at the nearby Royal Arena.
The British singer was due to perform on July 3, 2022, as part of his Love On Tour series.
The Royal Arena is located only a short distance from Field's shopping centre and had already welcomed thousands of concertgoers when the shooting occurred.
The venue, which has a capacity of approximately 16,000 people, was partially filled when the attack began.
Initially, organisers postponed the concert while authorities assessed the situation.
However, police eventually ordered the event to be cancelled because of the ongoing emergency and the need to secure the surrounding area.
According to a published emergency medical services report, the final cancellation decision was made at approximately 9:37 p.m.
Concertgoers were instructed to leave the venue in an orderly manner.
Police also arranged special metro transportation to move approximately 6,000 concert attendees away from the area and prevent them from entering or interfering with the crime scene.
Harry Styles Responded to the Tragedy
Following the cancellation, Harry Styles expressed his sadness over the shooting through social media.
He said he was heartbroken alongside the people of Copenhagen and expressed sympathy for the victims, their families and everyone affected.
Styles also apologized to fans because the concert could not take place.
His message reflected the emotional impact of the attack on both local residents and international visitors who had travelled to attend the show.
Concert promoter Live Nation confirmed that the performance had been cancelled at the direction of Danish police.
The promoter expressed condolences to the victims and their families and said it would investigate possible future arrangements for ticket holders.
How Police Responded to the Shooting
Copenhagen police received reports of gunfire and rapidly deployed armed officers to Field's shopping centre.
The response involved a large-scale operation to locate the gunman, secure the building and evacuate shoppers.
The suspect was arrested shortly after the attack began, approximately 13 minutes after police received the initial reports, according to contemporary reporting.
Officers continued searching the complex to ensure that there were no additional attackers.
People who had hidden inside shops, toilets and storage areas were gradually evacuated.
Emergency medical teams treated the wounded and coordinated with hospitals receiving victims.
Psychological support was also arranged for survivors and witnesses.
The incident later became the subject of a medical research paper examining the emergency services response to a mass shooting in a large shopping centre.
The Gunman Was Sentenced to Secure Psychiatric Treatment
On July 5, 2023, Copenhagen City Court found the perpetrator guilty of three killings and 30 attempted killings.
The court also determined that he was suffering from a serious mental illness and ordered him to be placed in a secure psychiatric facility.
Rather than imposing a conventional fixed-term prison sentence, the court ordered an indefinite placement in the closed forensic psychiatric unit at the Sikringsafdelingen facility in Slagelse.
The placement had no predetermined maximum duration.
The court's decision reflected the psychiatric assessment presented during the proceedings and the need to protect the public while addressing the perpetrator's mental health condition.
In December 2023, the Eastern High Court upheld the placement order, bringing the criminal proceedings to a final conclusion.
The verdict established the perpetrator's criminal responsibility for the killings and attempted killings, while determining that secure psychiatric treatment was the appropriate legal measure.
Questions About Mental Health Care in Denmark
The fact that the perpetrator had previously been known to mental health services raised questions about whether the tragedy could have been prevented.
After the attack, Danish authorities examined his previous contact with psychiatric services and the treatment he had received.
The incident prompted renewed discussion about access to mental health care, psychiatric monitoring and the identification of people who may pose a risk to themselves or others.
A review commission examined possible shortcomings in the care provided to the perpetrator.
However, the commission concluded that even if his treatment had been better, it could not be established with certainty that the attack would have been prevented.
The case highlighted the difficult balance between protecting individual rights, providing appropriate psychiatric treatment and identifying serious warning signs before violence occurs.
Why the Field's Shopping Centre Shooting Remains Significant
The July 2022 attack shocked Denmark because it occurred in a familiar public environment where families, teenagers and shoppers were going about their ordinary activities.
It also demonstrated how a mass shooting can affect an entire surrounding area, even beyond the immediate crime scene.
The cancellation of Harry Styles' concert showed the wider disruption caused by the emergency, while the evacuation of thousands of concertgoers demonstrated the scale of the public safety response.
Mahdi Al-Wazni's eyewitness account added an important human perspective to the reporting, documenting the gunman's behaviour and the frightening circumstances inside the shopping centre.
The final court ruling brought the criminal proceedings to a conclusion, but the attack continues to be remembered by the victims' families, survivors and Copenhagen residents.
What Happened to the Copenhagen Mall Shooter?
Following his conviction in July 2023, the perpetrator was ordered to remain in a secure forensic psychiatric facility without a predetermined release date.
The Eastern High Court upheld the decision later that year.
As of November 2026, the criminal case has reached its final judicial conclusion, with the indefinite psychiatric placement remaining the court-ordered measure reported in the official Danish police account.
The shooting remains one of Denmark's most significant recent mass-casualty attacks and a painful reminder of the consequences of violence in public spaces.
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