Western Uusimaa District Court has sentenced a young man who attacked a vocational college in Espoo's Leppävaara to two years in prison.
The court convicted him of aggravated assault, assault and making an unlawful threat on Thursday.
In February, the District Court ordered a mental health evaluation of the man, who was born in 2007. It found that he was of sound mind at the time of the crime.
The perpetrator, a former student at Live Vocational College, returned to his old school late last September, carrying a 17-centimetre knife. At the institution, he took a picture of himself holding the knife.
He then tried to stab two students of immigrant background, but they managed to escape. He was then stopped by college staff.
Planned to harm minorities
The court found that the man had watched violent videos and other material related to Norwegian terrorist Anders Breivik the evening before returning to his old school.
He had also written a manifesto saying that he intended to harm students and staff at the institution – and specifically that he planned to kill as many “immigrants, leftists, transsexuals and homosexuals” as possible.
Surveillance camera footage shows him extending his right arm in a Nazi-style salute before school staff disarmed him.
The man was sentenced to two years in prison, but will be now released as he had already spent more time in pre-trial detention than the time he would have served as a first-time offender. The judgment is still subject to appeal.
