Finland
Police officers at the Viertola school in Vantaa. — © AP
A shooting at a school near the Finnish capital Helsinki left two people injured and one dead. All victims are 12-year-old students. A student from the school has been arrested as a suspect.
A shooting incident took place in a primary school in Vantaa, Finland, a suburb of the capital Helsinki. Two twelve-year-old students were seriously injured and a third died. A suspect, a twelve-year-old student at the school, was quickly caught. Finnish police say they are questioning the suspect and expect to be able to provide more clarity about his motive in the coming hours.
At 9 a.m. local time (10 a.m. Belgian time), the Finnish police received a report of the shooting incident at the school. An hour later the suspect was arrested in Helsinki. That was peaceful, although the possible perpetrator was still in possession of a weapon when arrested. All victims have now been transferred to a nearby hospital.
The school accommodates approximately 800 students between the ages of 7 and 15. She also employs about 90 people. A large number of heavily armed police patrols and rescue workers are on site and victims are offered crisis assistance. The Finnish newspaper HS spoke to parents who could call their children in the school building. According to them, the shooting took place in one of the classrooms. After the incident, the students hid in their classrooms.
The police ask local residents to avoid the area around the school and not to open their doors to strangers. According to Finnish media, the immediate danger appears to have passed. At 12 noon Belgian time, the Finnish police will speak to the press about the incident.
