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Police operation in Vantaa
Photo:
Markku Ulander / AFP
At least one child has died after a gun attack at a school in Vantaa, north of the Finnish capital Helsinki. Two others were seriously injured and in the hospital, police said. A suspect has been arrested.
Investigators said both the alleged perpetrator and the victims were twelve years old. He had a firearm with him, which was confiscated. According to the police, the arrest went smoothly.
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The crime occurred in the morning around 9 a.m. (local time). The incident is being further investigated on site. There were no details yet. The public was asked to stay away from the area.
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo appeared on X to be “shocked” by the crime. His thoughts are with the victims, their relatives and the other students and school staff.
The school is a uniform school in the Viertola district and has around 800 students spread across two locations. Vantaa is located next to Helsinki in southern Finland and is the fourth largest city in the country with more than 200,000 inhabitants.
bbr/dpa/AFP/Reuters/AP