Suspect of Kuopio sword attack jailed by North Savo District Court

Joel Otto Aukusti Marin, the student born in 1994 arrested by the Police and suspected of the saber attack committed at Savo Vocational College, has been remanded into custody by the North Savo District court, informed today the National Bureau of Investigation (Keskusrikospoliisi) in a press release.

Within the same statement, the police confirmed that the woman who was killed in the attack is a Ukrainian citizen born in 1996. She and the suspect were students at Savo Vocational College. The police have not made public yet any information about the possible motive for the crime..

The attack occurred on Tuesday 1 October shortly after noon, when the suspect entered the premises of the College and attacked the students and the school staff with a sword. As a result, he killed one woman and injured 9 persons. The police had to open fire against the perpetrator twice in order to stop him.

Suspect attended hearing from hospital 

The North Savo District Court heard today the matter in a closed hearing which was attended by the suspect through a video link from Kuopio University Hospital, where he is receiving care for his injuries. Police think he will probably be charged for one murder and nine attempted murders.

"We will continue intensive investigation after the remand hearing. We have already interviewed the suspect, but we will still conduct a number of further interviews of the suspect, and of other persons as well. We have mostly established the course of the Tuesday incident. However, investigations into the motive and some underlying facts of the case are a long-term process and require a full review of the suspect's history," says Head of Investigation, Detective Chief Inspector Olli Töyräs from the National Bureau of Investigation.

The deadline for bringing a charge in the case is 13 February 2020.