BERLIN – Two people were killed and six others injured in a stabbing on Friday in a city in southwest Finland, police said.
The attack unfolded in Turku, about 100 miles west of Helsinki, jolting a continent still learning the full extent of a terror strike targeting Spain, where police were trying to piece together details of two deadly vehicular assaults and an explosion at a house that police said had been used by the attackers.
The Islamic State claimed links to the attacks in Spain, the nation’s worst in more than a decade, while police in Finland said the stabbing was not currently being investigated as terrorism.
A suspect was apprehended on the scene in central Turku, and was being treated for his injuries in a nearby hospital after being shot in the thigh by police. The interior minister, Paula Risikko, said the suspect’s identity was unclear but described him as “foreign-looking.” She said authorities were contacting immigration officials to learn more.
Finland’s prime minister, Juha Sipilä, offered condolences to the relatives of the victims and called the day’s events “tragic.”
Security was being tightened across the country, including at airports and train stations. National Police Commissioner Seppo Kolehmainen warned civilians that they might see armed units on the streets.
Police asked people to clear the center of Turku as they searched for more potential suspects, but also said it was possible the man was acting alone.
