Knife attack at school in Finland: three injuries after planned attacks

Knife attack at school in Finland: three injuries after planned attacks

Turku, Finnland - On May 20, 2025, a tragic knife attack occurred at the Vahajarvi School in Finland, in which three people were injured. The school, who attended around 1,250 students between the ages of six and 15, became the scene of a planned attack.

The police received an emergency call at 10:42 a.m. (local time), in which the knife attack was reported. According to initial information, the age of the injured people has been unknown. Before the crime, a student published a manifesto that explains the reasons for the attack and the weapons used. The perpetrator showed that he wanted to stab girls in a targeted manner. However, the manifesto described by Yle as available could not yet be verified whether it actually comes from the perpetrator. Other media also received the document.

knife power in schools

The incident in the Vahajarvi school is also highly increasing a worrying phenomenon: the increase in knife attacks in schools. Social researcher Jens Luedtke points out that there have been several similar incidents in the past few weeks in which students were seriously injured and even a student lost her life. Luedtke warns that society may have to react fundamentally to these forms of violence.

The shocking events of the past few months illustrate the risks that exist in school environments. In view of this serious situation, increased attention from the security authorities and schools is required. Luedtke emphasizes that it is difficult to estimate whether the situation will continue to deteriorate and expects that further cases will have to be expected in the coming months.

comparison with previous incidents

A tragic incident that was a few years ago is the knife attack in Turku on August 18, 2017, in which the perpetrator, Abderrahman Bouanana, killed two women and injured eight other people. This also showed a targeted approach to women. Bouanana, who was 22 years old and came from Morocco, had planned the attack beforehand and was later sentenced to life imprisonment.

The Finnish police already had indications of the perpetrator's extremist thinking, but measures were not taken. After the attack, the authorities tightened the security precautions and there were nationwide silence in memory of the victims.

The reactions to both incidents are similar: a society that longs for security must work against the growing threat to violence in schools and public places. The events make it clear that both preventive and reactive measures are required to prevent such tragedies in the future