Mayor, two journalists shot dead in Finland

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 4 December 2016

In a tragic attack in Imatra, Finland, a lone shooter killed the local mayor and two journalists. The assailant, 23 years old, has been arrested and initial investigations show no political motives for the attack.

Summary

A lone gunman shot dead a local official and two journalists, all of them women, in a night-time attack Saturday in a small town in Finland, a country with one of the highest rates of gun ownership in the world.

Police said Sunday they believed the 23-year-old suspect, who was swiftly arrested after the shooting, acted alone and initial indications were that there was no political or extremist motive.

The attack took place as the women were leaving a restaurant in the southeastern lakeside town of Imatra near the Russian border, and police said they may have been targeted at random.

Investigators identified the victims as the head of the municipal council and two local reporters, the SST news agency said.

A police statement said the women had died at the scene after being shot at close range, sustaining gunshot wounds to the head or the torso. - AFP

KEY POINTS:

• Three women shot and killed in Imatra, Finland.
• Victims included a local mayor and two journalists.
• Suspect, aged 23, arrested shortly after the incident.
• Authorities believe the shooting was random, with no extremist ties.
• The attack occurred as the victims left a restaurant.