Israel strongly condemned last Friday afternoon’s (August 18, 2017) terror attack in the market square of Finland’s southwestern port city of Turku that left two people dead and eight more wounded. All of the victims were women, with the exception of two men who intervened to stop the 18-year-old terrorist, a Moroccan asylum seeker.
He was shot and wounded in the thigh by police moments after he began his stabbing attack.
The Israeli government expressed its “shock” in a statement Monday, saying it “strongly condemns the attack.” The statement went on to express Israel’s “solidarity with the people of Finland,” and said the Jewish State “sends condolences to the families of those killed and wishes for a speedy recovery to the injured.”
Finland observed a minute of silence Sunday to pay tribute to those who were killed and injured in the stabbing that constituted its first-ever terrorist attack.
The suspect was due to appear in court for arraignment Monday after interrogation on Sunday.
According to a statement Saturday by Finnish police, the attacker deliberately targeted women, although it is not yet clear why.