ONE of the two Singaporean men shot in a restaurant in Copenhagen on Monday night had arrived in the Danish city only two days ago to attend a friend's birthday party.

The 55-year-old unnamed man was hit in the chest by a Vietnamese man at point blank and is now in a coma and supported by respirator, according to Danish media reports.

The other victim, a former Singaporean who is now a Danish citizen, has been identified as Mr Roland Tan, 61, and is believed to be the owner of Restaurant Bali on Kongens Nytorv Square where the shooting took place at about 7 pm on Monday.

Mr Tan, described by Danish tabloid Ekstra Bladet as 'the most powerful Chinese businessman in Denmark,' was shot in the shoulder.

Both men are warded at the Rigshospitalet, guarded round-the-clock by Danish police. Even their family members were not allowed to visit them.

'It's for security reasons,' Cophenhagen police commissioner Henning Schou Kofoed was quoted as saying by Ekstra Bladet.

Eyewitnesses said the assailant, named by Danish police as Nguyen Phi Hung, 47, walked into Restaurant Bali and shot the two men at point blank. He then fled.

A friend of the critically injured Singaporean said he was sitting at the restaurant bar when the gunman burst in and started shooting at the two.

Danish police believed the shooting was an assassination attempt on Mr Tan, who is said to have connections with organised crime groups.

The restaurant owner has previously been questioned by police in connection with several serious crimes, including drug dealings, blackmail and murder.

The gunman is still at large and a police hunt is on. He was previously convicted of heroin trafficking and jailed for over three years.

Responding to media queries, a spokesman for the Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday: 'MFA has been informed that one Singaporean was injured in the incident. He is currently hospitalised. We have been in contact with his family and are rendering them the necessary consular assistance.'

Read the full story in Thursday's edition of The Straits Times.