Three released from hospital after Tampere stabbings, suspect faces attempted murder charges

By admin On Jul 6, 2025

Police and police cars and cordoned area outside the Ratina shopping centre in Tampere, Finland on July 3, 2025. Photo: Saara Peltola / Lehtikuva

Three of the four victims in Thursday’s stabbing attack in central Tampere have been discharged from hospital, according to the police and hospital officials. One woman remains in care with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

The attack, which occurred near the Ratina shopping centre, left four women wounded. Police have confirmed that the victims were chosen at random. The suspect, a 23-year-old Finnish man with a violent criminal history, faces four counts of attempted murder. He is expected to appear in court on Monday for a remand hearing.

Detective Inspector Ossi Kaario said the investigation had uncovered signs of premeditation. “We have found indications that he had been planning the act for a long time,” he said in a statement. The police are continuing to review surveillance footage and have not yet conducted further interviews with the suspect since Friday.

Among the injured was Sussu Ketola, a musician and keyboardist for the band Litku Klemetti. Ketola was the last of the victims to remain hospitalised and was discharged on Sunday. She sustained five stab wounds to her shoulder, arm, chest, and hand.

Ketola described the moment of the attack. She had just finished shopping and was preparing to rent an electric scooter when she felt a sudden sharp pain in her shoulder. “I looked into his eyes and saw the knife,” she told Helsingin Sanomat. “I realised something terrible had just happened.”

A nurse and a security guard nearby provided immediate assistance before paramedics arrived. Surgeons operated to save the tendon in her little finger. Her hand is now in a cast, and she faces two months of medical leave followed by rehabilitation.

Doctors believe her hand and fingers will recover. Ketola, who joined Litku Klemetti in 2022, said the injury is a severe blow to her as a professional musician. “I yelled out on the ground, ‘I’m a musician, I need to save my hand!’” she recalled.

She expressed gratitude for the care she received at Tampere University Hospital and said that despite the pain, she never felt alone. “The pain was intense, but I got help quickly,” she said.

The incident has left psychological scars. Ketola is receiving crisis counselling and said that the idea of being alone in public still feels frightening. She has started visualisation exercises to help her mentally prepare for returning to the location of the attack.

She noted that the event had changed her. “Before, I was an introvert. Now I feel something inside me has shifted. Maybe some fears have lost their power.”

She reflected on the randomness of the violence. “I’ll never know why he chose me. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time,” she said. “I have to accept that and move forward.”

The experience has led her to consider broader social issues. “It feels like distress in society has increased. We need to improve mental health services and re

Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi