One killed in Finland stabbing spree
HELSINKI: Several people were stabbed in the street in the Finnish city of Turku yesterday, with police shooting one suspect and warning several others could still be at large.
Police had yet to confirm how many people had been wounded but witnesses said they had seen several bodies lying on the ground in a busy area of the city in southwest Finland.
Police shot one suspect in the legs and arrested him, while security forces wrote on Twitter that police were “looking for other possible perpetrators”.
“They ask the population to leave and avoid central Turku,” the tweet added.
Witness Laura Laine said she heard a woman screaming at the corner of the market square.
“We saw a man at the square. He had knife in his hand and he was swinging it in the air. We understood he had stabbed someone,” she said.
The Turun Sanomat newspaper reported that at least one person was killed. Newspaper Helsingin Sanomat said eight people had been taken to hospital, some in a critical condition.
Public television station Yle reported that central Turku was in lockdown, with the police operation focusing on a busy square. Businesses were shut.
MTV3 television reported that police had increased security at the airport here and at train stations. The motive for the stabbing is not known.
“The government is following the situation in Turku closely and a police operation is under way,” tweeted Prime Minister Juha Sippila. Agencies