Two dead, six injured in Finland stabbing spree

– Threat level raised –

Prime Minister Juha Sipila tweeted that his government was “following the situation in Turku closely and the police operation underway.”

Police have refused to comment on whether the stabbing may have been terrorism-related.

In June, Finland’s intelligence and security agency Supo raised the country’s terror threat level by a notch, from “low” to “elevated”, the second notch on a new four-tier scale.

“Supo has become aware of more serious terrorism-related projects and plans in Finland,” it said.

“Foreign terrorist fighters (who have) left from Finland have gained significant positions within IS in particular and have an extensive network of relations in the organisation,” it said in its June assessment.

In 2012, Finland’s then-prime minister Jyrki Katainen escaped a knife attack in Turku while campaigning for municipal elections.

The man who approached him carrying a knife was found to be psychologically disturbed and no charges were brought against him.

In late 2016, a local politician and two journalists were shot dead in a Finnish town close to the Russian border, illustrating Finland’s struggles to combat gun crime.

Police had quickly arrested a man singled out by witnesses as the killer.

A former capital of Finland, Turku remains a hub for business and culture.