The attacker tried to run away, but the police arrested him “peacefully” in the Tapulikaupunki neighborhood in the north of Helsinki. At the time of his arrest, he still had a firearm, the permit for which was registered in the name of a close relative.
Finnish Prime Minister Peteri Orpo described the incident as deeply disturbing and said that his thoughts are with the shooting victims and their families, as well as the students and school staff.
This school, which is located in two locations, has a total of about 800 students between the ages of seven and 15. The shooting took place in the part of the school in Jokiranta, where students between the ages of nine and 12 study.
The BBC reports that 430,000 people in Finland, with a population of 5.5 million, have firearms permits. The Ministry of the Interior has informed that there are more than 1.5 million firearms in the hands of hunters and gun enthusiasts in Finland. In 2007, an 18-year-old student shot dead seven students and the school principal in Tusula. A year later, a student shot and killed nine students and a teacher in Kauhajoki.
