International

Finland: 1 Child Killed, 2 Injured In School Shooting Incident; Minor Suspect Apprehended

Finland has witnessed two deadly shooting incidents earlier in 2007 and 2008, as the country with a population of 5.6 million has 1.5 million licensed firearms.

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AP
Police officers at the scene of shooting in Finland | Photo: AP
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One child was killed while two others were reportedly injured in a shooting at a primary school in Finland early on Tuesday. Later, a suspect, who was also a minor, was apprehended.

According to the Reuters report, the victims were taken to hospital, after the shooting took place at the Viertola school in Vantaa, a suburb to the capital Helsinki.

The school has around 800 students from first to ninth grade and a staff of some 90 people, it mentioned.

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"The immediate danger is over," the report quoted Viertola school's principal Sari Laasila as having said.

The suspect and the wounded were 12 years old, AP reported. It also mentioned the suspect was arrested in the Helsinki area with a handgun in his possession.

Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo posted on X that he was “deeply shocked” over the shooting.

In the past decades, Finland has witnessed two major deadly school shootings.

In November 2007, a 18-year-old student armed with a semi-automatic pistol opened fire at the premises of the Jokela high school in Tuusula, southern Finland, killing nine people. He was found dead with self-inflicted wounds.

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In September 2008, a 22-year-old student shot and killed 10 people with a semi-automatic pistol at a vocational college in Kauhajoki, southwestern Finland, before fatally shooting himself.

Finland with a population of 5.6 million has 1.5 million licensed firearms and about 430,000 license holders, AP report mentioned.

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