Finland sword attacker acts alone, motive remains unclear: police

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HELSINKI, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- The young man who killed one and injured ten others with a sword on Tuesday in Kuopio, Eastern Finland, acted alone, but his grounds for the attack remained unclear, Finnish police said on Wednesday.

Police said the violence was surprising as the attacker had successfully passed secondary education and had no criminal record.

The suspect was a 25-year-old ethnic Finn. He was a first-year student in the provincial vocational school.

The dead person and reportedly the target of the attack was a young woman of Ukrainian origin, studying in the same school, the Ukrainian embassy in Finland confirmed to Finland's national radio, Yle.

Police told media they did not know whether the lady and the suspect had been in contact outside the school.

The violence took place within one classroom. The suspect was wounded outside as police fired shots at him, Yle reported.

Seven of the ten injured were women. As of Wednesday evening, five remained in hospital, including the suspect.

Based on media interviews with his classmates, the suspect was described as a "loner" who did not have many friends.

The attack in Kuopio shocked the country as there had not been comparable school violence in Finland since 2008. The Finnish parliament began its Wednesday session with a moment of silence. Enditem

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