Finland: Police open terror investigation into stabbings in Turku /update 2

Event

Security officials announced on Saturday, August 19, that the stabbings in Turku on Friday, August 18, are being investigated as a terrorist attack. Police said that the attacker has been identified as an 18-year-old Moroccan national. Another four Moroccans have been arrested in connection to the incident and police have issued a warrant for a sixth suspect. According to the initial investigation, police believe that the attacker appears to have been targeting women.

Context

At approximately 16:02 (local time), police responded to reports that a man was stabbing people in the Market Square area of Turku. The responding officers shot the attacker in the leg and arrested him. Two people were killed and another eight wounded in the attack. Following the incident, police officials announced that security forces would be put on an elevated readiness and increase their patrols across the country.

Finland’s security services (SUPO) raised the national threat level on June 14 from “low” to “elevated,” the second-lowest ranking of a four-tier scale. Authorities said that the decision to raise the threat level was made in response to the rise of Finnish foreign fighters into high-level positions within the Islamic State (IS). The SUPO is currently monitoring 350 individuals.

Advice

Individuals in Turku are advised to monitor the situation and to avoid the area of the attack. Individuals throughout Finland should report any suspicious activity or objects to the relevant authorities.