Shooter’s YouTube history reveals premeditated plan leading to Viertola school massacre

The shooter involved in the Viertola school incident appeared to have a premeditated plan, as revealed by their YouTube viewing history disclosed by the police on Thursday. The preliminary investigation materials outline dozens of videos connected to the case, and a timeline of the views indicates a notable increase leading up to the event.

The earliest videos listed were viewed by the perpetrator at the end of November 2023. On November 29th, they watched 12 videos related to violence in a single day. Following this initial spike, views became infrequent until around Christmas, when they rose sharply again. By early 2024, viewing had slowed but picked up significantly in March, with only a few isolated days when the suspect did not watch any relevant content.

A significant portion of the YouTube videos cataloged by the police pertain to school shootings or similar incidents. Notably, the list includes several instances of a Finnish song where the narrator expresses regret about their life circumstances. The perpetrator listened to different versions of this song four times on the morning of the attack. Additionally, they visited a website with videos of dying individuals multiple times. Towards the end of March, the shooter also listened to three programs related to school shootings, as well as one concerning a triple homicide, on Spotify.

The title of the article was amended on October 24, 2024, to refer specifically to a school massacre instead of multiple school shootings.