Police shot dead a gunman yesterday whose attacks on a Copenhagen synagogue and an event promoting free speech may have been inspired by an attack on French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo last month, authorities said.

Denmark’s intelligence service arrested eight Islamic militants linked to leading al-Qaida figures in anti-terror raids in the Danish capital, the head of the agency said today.

A protest by hundreds of youth activists turned violent in Denmark early today, with protesters setting fire to street barricades and cars and smashing shop windows, police said.

Demolition crews today started tearing down a disputed Danish youth centre that was at the heart of recent street riots in Copenhagen.