Finland has foiled a suspected far-right terror attack. So far, various terrorist outfits have carried out bloody attacks in different parts of the globe. However, it is the first time when a Far-Right Group has planned to trigger such an attack in the Nordic country. The Finnish Police have not only arrested five people for their alleged involvement in the planned attack, but also retrieved homemade explosives and dynamites.
Reports suggest that all the five men, suspected of planning bomb and gun attacks, are from the southwestern municipality of Kankaanpaa. Those men, aged between 23 and 26, were under constant surveillance for the last two years. The Police said that they made the arrest on Tuesday morning.
During interrogation, the Police came to know that some of the detainees had previous convictions. However, they are not members of any terror outfit. The specialist researcher at Finland's security services Supo, Eero Pietila stressed: "A small group like this which idealises terrorist violence works in secret and their activity does not involve contact with organised publicly operating extreme-right groups."
According to residents of Kankaanpaa, one of the prime suspects was a skinhead, while two others were allegedly neo-Nazis, who follow 'accelerationism', a White Supremacist Ideological tendency that is aims at fomenting racial division in society. This ideology has also been linked to mass shootings in the US.
Meanwhile, the Police seized some materials, which "reinforce the impression that they have become radicalized and gives reason to suspect them of terrorist offences". They also released a photo, showing one of the detainees wearing a balaclava and holding a handgun and a machete, while the other one holding a semi-automatic rifle, homemade explosive devices and dynamites.
Europol, the law enforcement agency of the EU, is investigating the case jointly with the Finnish Police. It may be noted that the Finnish Police had seized a huge quantity of guns, ammunition and explosives while conducting a raid at a home in December 2019, and arrested some men on firearm charges. According to the Police, it will take months to conduct the pre-trial investigations. Hence, prosecutors have allowed the Police to press charges by March 31, 2022.
