Finland schoolboy suspect, 12, shot classmates over 'bullying' police say

A 12-year-old boy launched a gun attack on his school and killed his classmate because he was being bullied, police in Finland have said.

In a statement officers said: "The motive for the act has been confirmed to be bullying.

"During questioning, the suspect has said that he has been the victim of bullying."

Police said one of the wounded girls has a dual Finland-Kosovo citizenship. The suspect and the victims were all classmates.

Mourners gathered outside the scene at Viertola Lower Secondary school in Vantaa, near Helsinki on Wednesday.

The Finnish government declared a nationwide day of mourning on Wednesday, ordering all state agencies and institutions to lower the national flag to half-mast.

The suspect was apprehended less than an hour after the attack, which happened at around 7.08am BST on Tuesday.

In a statement on Wednesday, police said the killing was carried out using “a revolver-like handgun."

One of the pupils died instantly after being shot, Chief of Police Ilkka Koskimäki from the Eastern Uusimaa Police Department told a news conference.

The other two were seriously wounded, he added.

The weapon used in the shooting was a registered handgun that was licensed to the suspect’s relative.

He admitted to the shooting in an initial police hearing, police said, adding that the case is being investigated as a murder and two attempted murders.

The minimum age of criminal liability in Finland is 15 years, which means the suspect cannot be formally arrested.

A suspect younger than 15 can only be heard by the police after which they will be handed over to Finland’s child welfare authorities.

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