Zürcher Nachrichten - Finnish police says 'bullying' motivated school shooting

EUR -
AED 4.26841
AFN 80.362394
ALL 97.542216
AMD 446.735356
ANG 2.080099
AOA 1065.794205
ARS 1481.767207
AUD 1.776887
AWG 2.092071
AZN 1.980459
BAM 1.954642
BBD 2.348809
BDT 141.226338
BGN 1.956132
BHD 0.43834
BIF 3466.946195
BMD 1.162261
BND 1.493215
BOB 8.038238
BRL 6.486005
BSD 1.163311
BTN 100.147673
BWP 15.618748
BYN 3.807045
BYR 22780.325028
BZD 2.336716
CAD 1.596076
CDF 3354.287055
CHF 0.932981
CLF 0.029194
CLP 1120.296341
CNY 8.342655
CNH 8.346165
COP 4674.330945
CRC 587.052233
CUC 1.162261
CUP 30.799929
CVE 110.199718
CZK 24.634179
DJF 206.947405
DKK 7.463699
DOP 70.258379
DZD 151.514244
EGP 57.439973
ERN 17.433922
ETB 161.636047
FJD 2.620788
FKP 0.864949
GBP 0.86668
GEL 3.150183
GGP 0.864949
GHS 12.127816
GIP 0.864949
GMD 83.106172
GNF 10094.020343
GTQ 8.931709
GYD 243.385819
HKD 9.117884
HNL 30.445964
HRK 7.532663
HTG 152.739518
HUF 398.923459
IDR 18977.696027
ILS 3.902549
IMP 0.864949
INR 100.127437
IQD 1523.897249
IRR 48945.741055
ISK 142.354235
JEP 0.864949
JMD 186.029797
JOD 0.824089
JPY 172.932309
KES 150.300962
KGS 101.640213
KHR 4662.238109
KMF 491.989694
KPW 1046.046309
KRW 1616.942576
KWD 0.355234
KYD 0.969426
KZT 620.152624
LAK 25087.138481
LBP 104232.653
LKR 350.972086
LRD 233.241828
LSL 20.596898
LTL 3.431856
LVL 0.703041
LYD 6.327252
MAD 10.519168
MDL 19.788278
MGA 5176.933206
MKD 61.523554
MMK 2439.678938
MNT 4168.013035
MOP 9.404829
MRU 46.275587
MUR 53.119698
MVR 17.903172
MWK 2017.205016
MXN 21.795313
MYR 4.935007
MZN 74.338683
NAD 20.596898
NGN 1779.387897
NIO 42.814637
NOK 11.840776
NPR 160.236077
NZD 1.945045
OMR 0.446995
PAB 1.163311
PEN 4.140847
PGK 4.817146
PHP 66.377189
PKR 331.310933
PLN 4.244785
PYG 9003.666265
QAR 4.229694
RON 5.072695
RSD 117.080642
RUB 91.375869
RWF 1681.00418
SAR 4.36165
SBD 9.64543
SCR 17.082281
SDG 697.942292
SEK 11.235354
SGD 1.492813
SHP 0.913355
SLE 26.62005
SLL 24372.046713
SOS 664.806172
SRD 43.245469
STD 24056.466061
STN 24.485495
SVC 10.17897
SYP 15112.803405
SZL 20.592801
THB 37.628259
TJS 11.196867
TMT 4.079538
TND 3.419874
TOP 2.722137
TRY 46.897678
TTD 7.897322
TWD 34.181766
TZS 3030.404801
UAH 48.58252
UGX 4168.530579
USD 1.162261
UYU 46.882227
UZS 14725.276806
VES 135.943958
VND 30404.760344
VUV 138.92149
WST 3.080055
XAF 655.568644
XAG 0.030448
XAU 0.000347
XCD 3.14107
XCG 2.096558
XDR 0.815317
XOF 655.568644
XPF 119.331742
YER 280.163552
ZAR 20.584139
ZMK 10461.752209
ZMW 26.785133
ZWL 374.247723
  • CMSC

    0.0900

    22.314

    +0.4%

  • CMSD

    0.0250

    22.285

    +0.11%

  • RBGPF

    0.0000

    69.04

    0%

  • SCS

    0.0400

    10.74

    +0.37%

  • RELX

    0.0300

    53

    +0.06%

  • RIO

    -0.1400

    59.33

    -0.24%

  • GSK

    0.1300

    41.45

    +0.31%

  • NGG

    0.2700

    71.48

    +0.38%

  • BP

    0.1750

    30.4

    +0.58%

  • BTI

    0.7150

    48.215

    +1.48%

  • BCC

    0.7900

    91.02

    +0.87%

  • JRI

    0.0200

    13.13

    +0.15%

  • VOD

    0.0100

    9.85

    +0.1%

  • BCE

    -0.0600

    22.445

    -0.27%

  • RYCEF

    0.1000

    12

    +0.83%

  • AZN

    -0.1200

    73.71

    -0.16%

Finnish police says 'bullying' motivated school shooting
Finnish police says 'bullying' motivated school shooting / Photo: Olivier MORIN - AFP

Finnish police says 'bullying' motivated school shooting

A 12-year-old boy suspected of shooting and killing a classmate and wounding two girls at a school in Finland said he had been motivated by bullying, police said Wednesday.

Text size:

Flags flew at half-mast as the northern European country observed a day of mourning a day after the boy had opened fire at his school in the Finnish city of Vantaa.

"The motive for the act has been confirmed to be bullying," police said in a statement.

The suspect said during questioning that "he has been the victim of bullying," the statement added. "This information has also been confirmed during the preliminary investigation by the police."

Police also said that the young suspect had only been a student at the Viertola school near Helsinki since the beginning of the year.

During a press conference Wednesday, Vantaa city officials did not wish to comment on whether the school was aware of the bullying.

According to Finnish broadcaster MTV Uutiset, the boy wore a mask and noise-cancelling headphones when he carried out the shooting Tuesday morning.

The child who was killed, a Finnish boy also aged 12, died at the scene, and the suspect had already fled the school by the time police arrived after receiving the report of the shooting shortly after 9:00 am.

- Threatened others -

Police said Wednesday that their investigation had shown that the suspect had threatened other students on their way to school in a northern neighbourhood of the capital Helsinki -- which is just south of Vantaa.

"The suspect had threatened them with a gun when leaving the Viertola school after the shooting," police said.

The police opened an investigation into murder and attempted murder but said the suspect has been handed over to social services as he could not be held in police custody because of his age.

The suspect, who was carrying a gun, was arrested in a "calm manner" within an hour of the shooting.

The revolver-like gun used in the shooting belonged to a close relative of the boy, they said, adding that the matter was being investigated "as a separate firearms offence."

The school, which has around 90 staff and 800 pupils aged seven to 15, remained open on Wednesday but the pupils had a shorter day than usual, Deputy Mayor of Vantaa Katri Kalske told AFP.

Kalske said extensive support would be available to pupils and staff during the day, and that the shooting will be discussed in all schools in the city in an "age-appropriate manner".

Two injured girls remain in hospital, according to police.

The children's hospital where they are treated confirmed on Tuesday they were being treated for "serious injuries," but said it would not share details on their situation to protect their integrity.

Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said Tuesday that the incident was "deeply upsetting", adding that his thoughts were with the victims, their parents, other pupils and teachers.

"In the coming days, we must be present for the children and young people, offer them words of comfort and show them that we care about them," he said in a statement.

"They may be scared or have questions. It is important that we talk about the incident in our homes."

- 'I don't understand' -

Tuula Jouskari, a 70-year-old local resident, told AFP that she felt that parents need to be with and listen to their children.

"We have good education and schools. I don't understand why that little boy... has such a bad situation," she said.

Elina Pekkarinen, Finland's Children's Rights Ombudsman, told Finnish news agency STT on Tuesday that "for years (we have been repeating) that we need to take violence between children in society seriously".

Acts of violence, particularly amongst children under 15 years old, have been on the rise for several years, she added.

Police said Wednesday that multiple schools across the country had received threats following the shooting.

Finland has already witnessed several gruesome school attacks in recent decades.

A year later, in September 2008, 22-year-old Matti Juhani Saari killed 11 people at a vocational school in the western town of Kauhajoki.

In October 2019, a college student, armed with a sabre, killed a 23-year-old woman and wounded nine others at a vocational school in the city of Kuopio.

E.Schneyder--NZN