The individual who carried out a knife attack on students at a school in the Finnish town of Pirkkala has been identified as a 16-year-old student of the same school. The victims were three 15-year-old girls, according to Yle.
Police officially confirmed the suspect’s age during a press conference on Tuesday evening. After the attack, the teenager fled the school but was apprehended near a nearby market eight minutes later. He was interrogated the same day.
The incident is currently being investigated as three attempted murders, though the charges may be reclassified as the investigation progresses.
Investigators reported that before the attack, the suspect had posted a manifesto on social media in which he mentioned, among other things, that he had no friends. This has led authorities to believe that the girls were deliberately targeted. However, it remains unclear whether he held a personal grudge against the specific victims.
On Wednesday, classes at the school resumed as usual, though a private security team has been stationed on the premises.
