A 16-year-old has been arrested following a knife attack targeting female students at a school in southern Finland.
Three female students were injured in a stabbing incident at a school in Pirkkala, a town in southern Finland. Authorities have apprehended a fellow student suspected of carrying out the attack.
The incident occurred early Tuesday when the 16-year-old suspect, dressed in black, allegedly attacked female students randomly in a hallway at Vahajarvi school in Pirkkala, which is located approximately 180km (110 miles) north of Helsinki and serves around 1,200 students from preschool to ninth grade.
The suspect reportedly live-streamed the attack using a camera attached to his body, and disturbing footage of the chaotic scene has been circulating on social media.
Police stated that the suspect was apprehended without resistance outside the school shortly after the attack. A knife was recovered from the alleged perpetrator.
According to police, the injuries sustained by the victims are not considered life-threatening. One student suffered a knife wound to the neck, another to the waist, and a third to the hand.
Law enforcement officials are investigating a written manifesto believed to have been published by the suspect prior to the attack, but details of the contents have not been released.
Local news outlets are reporting that the manifesto outlined the suspect’s intent to target female students, stating that he lacked friends and desired notoriety through violence. The suspect also reportedly indicated plans to surrender to police after the attack.
Reports suggest the suspect had been planning the attack for approximately six months and utilized ChatGPT in the preparation process, though the specific reasons remain unclear.
Numerous high-ranking officials have commented on the attack. Education Minister Anders Adlercreutz expressed on X that “all violence in schools is unequivocally condemnable.”
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