Mall blast was suicide by teenager, say Finns
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Your support makes all the difference.A bomb blast at a packed shopping mall near Helsinki was caused by a teenage student who was among the seven killed and probably acted alone, Finnish police believe.
Tero Haapala, chief inspector of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), said yesterday that the suspect in the country's worst act of violence since the Second World War was Finnish, and had been studying at Helsinki University. But he added there was no clear motive for Friday's attack, which also injured more than 80 people.
The male student, who was not named, had no criminal record, according to the authorities. "We have probable reason to believe he was acting by himself and that no partners were involved in the horrific act," said the NBI's deputy chief, Jari Liukku. "Also, we don't have reason to believe that there were any strong ideological reasons for this act."
The bureau refused to comment on a local radio report that the student had been studying chemistry, and that police had found documents on how to build a bomb in his home. "It was a pretty well-made bomb aimed at injuring as many people as possible," said Mr Liukku, adding that the student had probably not intended to kill himself.
Friday's attack shocked a country with a tradition of neutrality and mediation in the world's conflicts. Yesterday the Finnish Prime Minister, Paavo Lipponen, expressed relief that the explosion did not appear to be the work of terrorists.
The bomb, containing 4lb to 6lb of explosives and metal shards, went off on Friday afternoon, when the enormous three-storey Myyrmanni mall in Vantaa, a suburb just north of Helsinki, was packed with 2,000 shoppers. The blast was centred in a children's area on the ground floor where a clown was blowing up balloons. At least one child was among the dead, and nine others were injured.
Hospitals said several of the injured had lost limbs, but by last night none were in critical condition.
Witnesses said they heard a blast and then the lights went out. Many people panicked. "There was an explosion, the windows shook. The floor shook. I didn't see a fire but I saw some 50 to 100 people rushing out of the mall," said Jami Koskimaki, a security guard. The explosion sent metal debris and glass flying across the glass-roofed building, causing the second floor to collapse.
"We've been dealing with severe blast and crush injuries, with maimed arms and legs," said a hospital spokesman. "The main problem is all the metal pieces embedded in injured bodies. It is clear someone intended to cause a lot of damage to a lot of people in a very dense area."
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