Police investigate potential hate motive in stabbing incident in Kastelli, Oulu

Contrary to previous statements, police are now investigating the stabbing incident that occurred in Kastelli, Oulu, in September as potentially motivated by hate. A young man stabbed a foreign-born high school student on a bike path on September 9, during daylight hours.

The victim sustained serious injuries but received immediate medical assistance and was transported to a nearby hospital. According to police, the 23-year-old suspect admitted to the act during the investigation but denied that the victim’s foreign background was the motive. However, at the later stages of the investigation, authorities discovered that the suspect harbored “some degree of long-standing hostile attitudes towards foreigners.”

This conclusion was drawn from witness testimonies and expert opinions, leading the police to classify the incident as a hate crime. The case has been forwarded to the prosecutor for evaluation under the charge of attempted manslaughter. The prosecutor will decide whether the hate motive should be considered an aggravating factor in court.

Earlier, police had indicated multiple times that they did not believe the act had a racist motive. They also stated that the underage victim narrowly survived the stabbing. “The initial situation was extremely serious. If help had not been so close and readily available, the outcome could have been entirely different,” commented Janne Koskela, a chief inspector with the Oulu police, in September.

The 23-year-old suspect remains in custody during the ongoing investigation.