A 70-year-old man from Vejle was sentenced Monday to 60 days in prison for sending a death threat to Danish tax and growth minister Jakob Engel-Schmidt. The minister responded publicly the same day.
The sentence was handed down Monday afternoon at Retten i Kolding, Avisen Danmark reports. The man received an unconditional prison term of 60 days for a threat directed at Engel-Schmidt, who represents the Moderates.
According to the same report, the threat was posted on June 18, 2026, shortly after Engel-Schmidt took over as tax and growth minister. It appeared as a comment on a Facebook post in which the minister wrote about lowering the VAT on gasoline. The comment offered 500 kroner to anyone who would kill him.
Defendant denied writing the comment
In court, the 70-year-old denied any knowledge of the message, Avisen Danmark writes. He suggested that someone else had written it while he was swimming from the bathing jetty by the ice cream shop on Ibæk Strandvej at Vejle Fjord. The court did not accept that explanation.
Local outlet VAFO also covered the case, identifying the defendant as a man from Vejle sentenced at Retten i Kolding. Per VAFO, the wording of the message was serious enough that Engel-Schmidt contacted police immediately after being made aware of it.
Minister responded on Facebook
Engel-Schmidt reacted to the verdict in a post on his Facebook profile, according to Avisen Danmark. He described the case as one of the more bizarre consequences of entering politics and representing Danes. He wrote that people are free to call him an idiot, mock him, shout at him, or write furious comments, and that he will respond in kind.
He added that there is a very clear line at threats of violence and death. The minister noted that he is not only a minister and politician, but also a father, son, brother, husband, and uncle. When his family and friends can read that someone is offering money to have him killed, he wrote, it is no longer just another crude comment on Facebook.
Engel-Schmidt said in the post that he is glad the justice system took the case seriously, and that he hopes the sentence sends a clear signal about where the limit lies. He also told his followers that he could not help thinking 500 kroner was a somewhat stingy bounty to place on his bald head.
Engel-Schmidt previously served as culture minister before taking over the tax and growth portfolio in 2026. The threat was sent less than two months before Monday’s ruling.
