- Gunman kills 10 in Finland school shooting
- The Age
- 24/09/2008 Make a Comment
- Contributed by: The Rooster ( 264 articles in 2008 )
A masked gunman whose violent YouTube postings prompted police to question him just a day earlier opened fire today at his trade school in Finland, killing 10 people and burning some of their bodies before fatally shooting himself in the head.
Witnesses said panic broke out as the gunman, dressed in black and carrying a large bag, started firing in a classroom during an exam. The shootings began just before 11am local time (1800 AEST) as about 150 students were at the Kauhajoki School of Hospitality, 300km northwest of Helsinki.
"I heard several dozen rounds of shots, in other words it was an automatic pistol," school janitor Jukka Forsberg told Finnish broadcaster YLE. "I saw some female students who were wailing and moaning and one managed to escape out the back door."
Finnish media identified the gunman as Matti Juhani Saari, a 22-year-old student at the school, which offers courses in catering, tourism, nursing and home economics.
"He was just a regular and calm guy. Nothing outstanding. He had lots of friends. Nothing that would have given an idea that something like this would happen," student Susanna Keranen told an AP television crew outside the school.
Police had questioned the gunman on Monday about YouTube postings in which he is seen firing a handgun, but he was released because there was no legal reason to hold him, Interior Minister Anne Holmlund said.
"The detective who handled the case did not think that the circumstances were such that they required a confiscation of the weapon or a withdrawal of the licence," Holmlund said.
Police spokesman Jari Neulaniemi said the attacker walked into the school armed with a .22-caliber pistol and carrying explosives. He killed 10 people, burning some of them beyond recognition, Neulaniemi said. His bag apparently contained the explosives.
Neulaniemi said the gunman left two handwritten messages at the school dormitory saying he had planned the attack since 2002 and that he hated the human race. He said the attacker started several fires using "petrol bombs or Molotov cocktails."
Neulaniemi said he had also written that the solution was a Walther 22, referring to the .22-caliber pistol he used in the attack.
It was Finland's second school massacre in less than a year and the two attacks had eerie similarities. Both gunmen posted violent clips on YouTube before the massacres, both were fascinated by the 1999 Columbine school shootings in Colorado, both attacked their own schools and both died after shooting themselves in the head.
The gunman was taken to a hospital in Tampere, about two hours away, along with a female victim he had shot in the head. The gunman later died, according to hospital's medical director.
The female victim's condition was not immediately clear. Police said two people were wounded, in addition to the 10 victims and dead shooter.
The ruling centre-right government held an emergency meeting, and some ministers planned to go to Kauhajoki (pronounced COW-ha-yer-key) - a town of 14,000 - tomorrow.
"We have experienced a tragic day," Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen said as he declared tomorrow a day of mourning.
Police have not released the names or ages of the victims. The school says most of its students are between 18 to 25 years old.
Finnish authorities did not confirm what YouTube clips were linked to the shooter.
But in one clip posted by a 22-year-old "Mr Saari," a young man wearing a leather jacket fires several shots in rapid succession with a handgun at what appears to be a shooting range.
The posting was made five days before the shooting and the location was given as Kauhajoki - the same town as Tuesday's shooting. The posting included a message saying: "Whole life is war and whole life is pain. And you will fight alone in your personal war."
"Mr Saari" also posted three other clips of himself firing a handgun in the past three weeks.
Clips from the 1999 Columbine school shootings in Colorado were listed among his favourite videos.
Another clip shown by Scandinavian media showed the alleged gunman pointing his gun to the camera and saying "You will die next" before firing four rounds.
Last November, another gunman killed eight people and himself at a school in southern Finland, an attack that triggered a fierce debate about gun laws in this Nordic nation with deep-rooted hunting traditions in the sub-Arctic wilderness.
AP
Witnesses said panic broke out as the gunman, dressed in black and carrying a large bag, started firing in a classroom during an exam. The shootings began just before 11am local time (1800 AEST) as about 150 students were at the Kauhajoki School of Hospitality, 300km northwest of Helsinki.
"I heard several dozen rounds of shots, in other words it was an automatic pistol," school janitor Jukka Forsberg told Finnish broadcaster YLE. "I saw some female students who were wailing and moaning and one managed to escape out the back door."
Finnish media identified the gunman as Matti Juhani Saari, a 22-year-old student at the school, which offers courses in catering, tourism, nursing and home economics.
"He was just a regular and calm guy. Nothing outstanding. He had lots of friends. Nothing that would have given an idea that something like this would happen," student Susanna Keranen told an AP television crew outside the school.
Police had questioned the gunman on Monday about YouTube postings in which he is seen firing a handgun, but he was released because there was no legal reason to hold him, Interior Minister Anne Holmlund said.
"The detective who handled the case did not think that the circumstances were such that they required a confiscation of the weapon or a withdrawal of the licence," Holmlund said.
Police spokesman Jari Neulaniemi said the attacker walked into the school armed with a .22-caliber pistol and carrying explosives. He killed 10 people, burning some of them beyond recognition, Neulaniemi said. His bag apparently contained the explosives.
Neulaniemi said the gunman left two handwritten messages at the school dormitory saying he had planned the attack since 2002 and that he hated the human race. He said the attacker started several fires using "petrol bombs or Molotov cocktails."
Neulaniemi said he had also written that the solution was a Walther 22, referring to the .22-caliber pistol he used in the attack.
It was Finland's second school massacre in less than a year and the two attacks had eerie similarities. Both gunmen posted violent clips on YouTube before the massacres, both were fascinated by the 1999 Columbine school shootings in Colorado, both attacked their own schools and both died after shooting themselves in the head.
The gunman was taken to a hospital in Tampere, about two hours away, along with a female victim he had shot in the head. The gunman later died, according to hospital's medical director.
The female victim's condition was not immediately clear. Police said two people were wounded, in addition to the 10 victims and dead shooter.
The ruling centre-right government held an emergency meeting, and some ministers planned to go to Kauhajoki (pronounced COW-ha-yer-key) - a town of 14,000 - tomorrow.
"We have experienced a tragic day," Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen said as he declared tomorrow a day of mourning.
Police have not released the names or ages of the victims. The school says most of its students are between 18 to 25 years old.
Finnish authorities did not confirm what YouTube clips were linked to the shooter.
But in one clip posted by a 22-year-old "Mr Saari," a young man wearing a leather jacket fires several shots in rapid succession with a handgun at what appears to be a shooting range.
The posting was made five days before the shooting and the location was given as Kauhajoki - the same town as Tuesday's shooting. The posting included a message saying: "Whole life is war and whole life is pain. And you will fight alone in your personal war."
"Mr Saari" also posted three other clips of himself firing a handgun in the past three weeks.
Clips from the 1999 Columbine school shootings in Colorado were listed among his favourite videos.
Another clip shown by Scandinavian media showed the alleged gunman pointing his gun to the camera and saying "You will die next" before firing four rounds.
Last November, another gunman killed eight people and himself at a school in southern Finland, an attack that triggered a fierce debate about gun laws in this Nordic nation with deep-rooted hunting traditions in the sub-Arctic wilderness.
AP
Source: https://www.theage.com.au/world/gunman-kills-10-in-finland-school-shooting-20080924-4moz.html?page=-1
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