All those involved are 12 years old, including the perpetrator who has been arrested, according to the police.
Tuesday 2 April at 11:42 a.m
The shooting took place at a primary and secondary school in the town of Vantaa, north of Helsinki. The school has around 800 pupils and 90 employees.
– There are several injured after the shooting incident. The police have arrested the suspect, they write on their website at 09:08 Norwegian time.
The arrest went peacefully and the police have seized a firearm that the perpetrator was in possession of.
Three students were injured, according to the police’s preliminary information. All those involved are 12 years old – not 13, as the police initially informed.
Their condition is not known. The children were taken to hospital.
– The shooting in Vanda is deeply shocking. My thoughts go out to the victims, their loved ones and all students and staff at the school, writes Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo on X.
An eyewitness tells the newspaper Iltalehti that he was at work nearby when he heard shots.
– Then there was a terrible scream and several children ran across the square, he tells the newspaper.
It was only when heavily armed forces arrived at the scene that he realized it was a school shooting.
Another witness told the newspaper that he saw the police arresting the perpetrator around 9am Norwegian time, and that the person “looked like a little boy”.
The incident was reported at 08:00 Norwegian time and the police asked people to stay indoors.
– Do not open the door to strangers, was the police’s call.
Police chief Tiia Palmén previously told Finnish MTV Uutiset that they had information that children were hiding inside the school.
To Ilta-Sanomat, principal Laasila said that those present sought cover inside the school and waited for instructions from the police.
A large number of heavily armed police forces are reported to be on the scene. The newspaper Helsingin Sanomat also writes that several ambulances and police cars are on the scene.
Vantaa has around 200,000 inhabitants and is Finland’s fourth largest city.
Finland has had several school shootings over the years.
The country of over 5.5 million inhabitants has more than 1.5 million licensed firearms and around 430,000 license holders, according to Reuters.
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