A 12-year-old armed with a gun killed one child and injured three others at a school in Finland early on Tuesday, police said.
Local authorities declared the incident over after the shooter was detained.
The victims were taken to hospital, a police spokesman said. One child died and the other two were seriously injured, they added.
All of the injured were 12-years-old.
Officers were called to the shooting at the Viertola school in Vantaa, a suburb on the outskirts of the capital Helsinki, at around 9am local time.
The primary school has about 800 students, from grades one to nine, and 90 staff, Finland’s YLE broadcaster reported.
Nearby the school also holds Swedish language courses, disability teaching and polyclinic classes for middle school-aged students.
“The immediate danger is over,” the school’s principal Sari Laasila told Reuters.
Heavily armed police arrived at the school in several cars, while two ambulances left the scene at around 10am local time, according to witnesses.
As news emerged of the shooting, parents gathered in the vicinity.
Some of the children reportedly sought shelter during the attacks, while others were in contact with their parents via mobile phones and said they saw what had happened.
Witnesses said the shooting happened in a single classroom, Finland’s HS newspaper reported.
Police warned bystanders to steer clear of the area and remain indoors.
People were urged not to answer their doors to strangers while the shooter was still on the loose.
Finnish police said in a statement: “All those involved in the shooting incident are minors. According to the police’s current information, there are three injured.
“Police are at the scene investigating the incident. Bystanders are asked to stay away from the area and indoors. The door should not be opened to strangers.”
The Finnish newspaper Ilta-Sanomat said the suspect was caught in the Helsinki area later on Tuesday.
Petteri Orpo, the Finnish prime minister, called the shooting “deeply shocking”.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, he said: “The shooting scene in Vantaa deeply shocks. My thoughts are with the victims, their loved ones and the other students and staff of Viertola school.
“We are following the situation closely and are waiting for the authorities to update [us].”
In 2007, an 18-year-old student shot dead seven pupils and his head teacher in the town of Tuusula.
A year later, another student killed nine pupils and a teacher in the town of Kauhajoki.
Following the school shootings, the Finnish government announced a review of its gun laws, raising the minimum age required to obtain a firearms licence from 18 to 20 years and introducing an aptitude and suitability test for the permits.
But the small country, which has a population of around 5.5 million, has some 430,000 licensed gun owners, mostly for hunting.
09:22 AM BST
Pictured: Police at the scene
