A suspect has been arrested in connection with the stabbing of four persons near a shopping centre in the city of Tampere, Finland, Finnish police announced on Thursday.
The police said Thursday's stabbings resulted in injuries to four people, but did not comment on the severity of the wounds.
Earlier in the day, authorities reported that the victims, whose identities remain undisclosed, were receiving initial medical care.
“The scene of the incident and its surroundings have been examined. The police have lifted the security perimeter and left the area,” the police added, clarifying that the suspect, who was apprehended immediately, had no “terrorist or racist motivation.”
Police were alerted to the incident at 4:23 p.m. local time (3:23 p.m.BST).
According to local media, several police cars and ambulances quickly arrived at the scene of the attack.
The daily Ilta-Sanomat newpaper reported that the suspect is a man in his twenties. Witnesses observed that he raised his hands and lay down on the ground without resistance, following police orders.
Tampere, a city with a population of around 260,000, is 180 kilometres north of Helsinki.
