Finland holds minute's silence for stabbing victims

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Finland observed a one-minute silence on Sunday for the victims of a stabbing attack in the city of Turku that left two people dead and eight injured.

Finnish police said on Sunday they had conducted searches of further premises in Turku as part of their investigation into the country's first suspected ISIL attack but had made no new arrests.

People mourn next to memorial candles and flowers at the Market Square in Turku, Finland on August 19, 2017. /Reuters Photo

An 18-year-old Moroccan asylum seeker was arrested for allegedly carrying out the attack.

Police said they still had not been able to interview the man due to his refusal to talk.

Four other Moroccan men detained for possible links to the attack have cooperated, but their role has yet to be fully established, the police statement said.

At Turku’s market square, where the attack happened, hundreds of people gathered to hold a minute of silence at 10:00 a.m. (0700 GMT).

Candles and flowers were laid on the square, with city officials, rescue crews, police officers and the public forming a ring around the makeshift memorial.

Archbishop Kari Makinen, head of Finland’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, also attended.

A note posted next to a bouquet of flowers read, “Peace and Love – No Violence Finland”.

Bells at Turku Cathedral, the country’s largest church, rang for 15 minutes before falling quiet for the minute's silence.

Hassan Zubier, one of the people stabbed in Turku on Friday, at the Market Square, Turku, Finland, August 20, 2017. /Reuters Photo

One of those injured in the attack, Hassan Zubier – a British paramedic visiting Turku who came to the aid of a woman who later died – attended the ceremony in a wheelchair, arriving directly from hospital.

“I wanted to show my respect to the victims,” he told Swedish daily Aftonbladet before returning to hospital for further treatment.

Similar ceremonies were held across the country.

Police officers detain the suspect who was shot in the leg, in the Finnish city of Turku where several people were stabbed, on August 18, 2017. /AFP Photo‍

Police shot and wounded the knife-wielding suspect, detaining him minutes after the afternoon rampage in the southwestern city.

All of the victims were women, except for two men who were injured trying to fend off the attacker.

An Italian, a Swede and a Briton were among the injured.

Source(s): AFP