Child stabbed in Finland, police suspect man with far-right sympathies

HELSINKI (Reuters) - A man with far-right sympathies is suspected of carrying out a stabbing attack in which a 12-year-old child was seriously wounded at a shopping centre in the northern Finnish city of Oulu, police said on Friday.

The suspect also targeted a second child in the attack, which took place late on Thursday, and will face preliminary charges of two attempted murders, the National Bureau of Investigation said in a statement.

"The criminal investigation is still at an early stage and the police do not know the exact motive for the act. They know, however, that the suspect has a background in extreme right activities," the NBI said.

Public broadcaster Yle showed images of what it said was a pool of blood on the floor of the shopping centre

Finland's Prime Minister Petteri Orpo condemned the attack.

"Far-right violence is a genuine threat in Finland," Orpo said in a post on social media X. "There is no room for extremism of any kind in this country."

The 12-year-old child was in a stable condition after being seriously wounded in the attack, police said.

The suspect, who was born in 1990, was believed to have stabbed the child several times from behind before being stopped by a security guard, the NBI said.

(Reporting by Anne Kauranen, writing by Terje Solsvik, editing by Timothy Heritage)