Man sentenced to two years for Espoo school attack inspired by Breivik

A district court in western Uusimaa has sentenced a man to two years in prison for a knife attack at a vocational school in Espoo’s Leppävaara last September.

The 19-year-old, born in 2007, entered his former school on the morning of 29 September 2025 carrying a 17 cm kitchen knife in his backpack. He later drew the weapon in a restroom, filmed himself with it, and attempted to stab two students of immigrant background in a third-floor break area. The attacks failed as he missed with the blade and the victims escaped.

Security footage showed the assailant pursuing one victim while still armed, but staff intervened. In one instance, he swung the knife twice at close range toward a student’s side, missing as the victim dodged and fell to the floor. In another, he kicked a student’s shin, swung the knife near the arm without contact, and knocked the victim against a table. The court ruled the acts constituted aggravated assault, assault, and illegal threat, but dismissed a charge of preparing a grave crime against life or health.

The court deemed the crime aggravated due to its motive, the element of surprise, and the victims’ minority status. A psychiatric evaluation ordered earlier found the man criminally responsible at the time of the attack.

Before the assault, he had watched material related to Norwegian terrorist Anders Breivik and violent videos. He had also written a short manifesto stating his intent to harm as many “immigrants, leftists, transsexuals, and homosexuals” as possible, choosing his former school because he was familiar with the building and its schedule.

Surveillance video captured him extending his right arm in a Nazi salute before staff disarmed him. He later surrendered the knife voluntarily and was calmly waiting with a male teacher when police arrived.

The verdict is not yet final and may be appealed.