Man charged with making illegal threats involving fake bombs sent to political party offices in Finland

An assistant prosecutor has charged a man with seven counts of making illegal threats related to incidents involving fake bombs sent to the offices of three political parties ahead of the 2023 parliamentary elections in Finland. The suspicious packages prompted evacuations and lockdowns of the offices until authorities confirmed the items were safe.

The National Bureau of Investigation (KRP) initially examined the acts as terrorist offenses. However, the prosecutor’s office concluded that the potential for serious harm was not significant in this case. The KRP suspected that the actions aimed to influence democratic elections and disrupt the activities of the involved political parties through threats of violence.

The motives attributed to the accused include extreme nationalist radicalism, a desire for societal collapse through accelerationism, and beliefs that endorse violence. The individual has denied any wrongdoing. The case is set to be heard in the Pirkanmaa District Court later.

The fake bomb incidents came to light in the early spring of 2022, just before the April parliamentary elections. In February 2023, threatening packages were sent to the offices of the Left Alliance and the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Tampere. Additionally, suspicious packages were received at the SDP’s regional office in Turku and the Left Alliance’s office in Pori. In Helsinki, three cases were discovered targeting the Left Alliance, SDP, and the Greens’ offices.

The KRP completed its terrorism investigation in July, noting that all incidents shared very similar characteristics. A year ago, reports indicated that the suspect was under KRP surveillance concerning a potential ritual murder, but no such crime was determined to have occurred, and no preliminary investigation was opened into such preparations. The situation remains under development.