The Finnish police is investigating an anonymous message that announces a terrorist attack on 3 May at the shopping center of Iso Omena, located in Matinkylä, in the southwestern city of Espoo.
According to a message tweeted by the Finnish police, an investigation of an "illegal threat" is being carried out. But "the criminal title will be refined if necessary as the investigation progresses", said the Police in a release.
Later, the Police and the the city of Espoo announced in their websites that a young man suspected of being the author of the threat "has been captured". The police says that "the security situation of shopping centers is normal from a police point of view" though the experts "will continue to investigate the case and report on the progress of the investigation whenever possible".
According to the information currently in the hands of the police department of the region of Lansi-Uusimaa, "there is no indication that residents or other actors in the area should avoid some places or stop doing something because of the threat".
Tutkimme eilistä uhkausta laittomana uhkauksena. Tämän hetkisten tietojemme mukaan mikään ei viittaa siihen, että asukkaiden tai alueen muiden toimijoiden tulisi välttää joitakin paikkoja tai jättää jotain tekemättä uhkauksen vuoksi. #lupoliisi #espoo https://t.co/HY1yc1Bg8u
— Poliisi LänsiUusimaa (@LUpoliisi) May 2, 2019
The message, which announces a mass shooting, was published in the opaque Tor network during the evening of May Day (Vappu) and was accompanied by the photograph of a simulated gun.
— Poliisi LänsiUusimaa (@LUpoliisi) May 2, 2019
Poliisilla on tiedossa espoolaiseen kauppakeskukseen kohdistettu ammuskelu-uhkaus, jossa puhutaan päivämäärästä 3.5. Uhkaus on julkaistu Tor-verkossa. Poliisi selvittää tilannetta ja viestin lähettäjää. Asiasta tiedotetaan tarvittaessa lisää huomenna torstaina. #poliisi #espoo
— Poliisi LänsiUusimaa (@LUpoliisi) May 1, 2019
On the basis of current police information, "it is safe to do business as usual in the shopping center and other affiliates, such as the library".
However, the police says that "our patrols will be moving in the shopping centers of Espoo in the coming days" as a part of "everyday cooperation" with these kind of businesses.
The newspaper Helsingin Sanomat informed that Siim Rosenthal, the general manager of Iso Omena, confirmed to the news agency STT that the managers of the shopping center and the police have been "in close contact" and the security level at the mall has been raised "immediately".
The Emergency Response Center and police departments have received plenty of tips from the public about this issue yesterday and this morning.
You can read the information released by the police (in Finnish) HERE and HERE
