A man hurled a glass of beer at Shimon Peres, Israel’s Foreign Minister during his visit to Copenhagen's Tivoli Garden amusement park. Peres, however, was unhurt in the incident, Israel's ambassador to Denmark said Thursday.
Police in Denmark early Thursday arrested an Arab man, apparently an immigrant from Iraq, on suspicion that he hurled the glass.
Ambassador Karmi Gillon told Israel Radio that after arriving in Denmark Wednesday night, Peres had asked to tour the garden before going to sleep.
"At 12:30 we were leaving the gardens, with the minister well-guarded, surrounded by police and his entourage, when a glass of beer was thrown - or there was an attempt to spray beer on the minister, but it was far enough away that it did not hit him."
Gillon said the foreign minister had continued on his way and hardly noticed what had occurred. Police then arrested the man who threw the beer. "From reports we received from the police, the man wass drunk, and it was clear that the incident was spontaneous."
The radio said an anti-Israeli demonstration was held near the house of parliament in the city, and that there were fears that the protest could spill over into violence.
Peres is in Copenhagen for a series of diplomatic meetings in Denmark, which holds the rotating presidency of the European Union. (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
