Finland police confirm identify of suspect in stabbing attack

HELSINKI, Finland – The identify of the main suspect in the stabbing attack this month in the Finnish city of Turku has been confirmed, police say.

Investigators have determined that Abderrahman Mechkah, an asylum seeker whose name had previously been released by police, is a Moroccan man born in 1994.

“The police have interviewed the main suspect, and he is willing to communicate with the interviewing police officer,” the National Bureau of Investigation says in a statement.

It says it would not release details of his statements while the investigation continues.

Police have said that Mechkah — who arrived in Finland in early 2016 — targeted women in a rampage on August 18 at a market square in the southwestern port city of Turku.

Six other suspects have been arrested on suspicions of being involved in the attack, though three of them have since been released.

Investigators are treating it as the country’s first terror attack.

— AFP