Teen finds another rusted pistol while magnet fishing in Lahti harbour

Fifteen-year-old Eemeli Huhtaranta found a rusted handgun while magnet fishing at Lahti harbour on Wednesday afternoon, in the second similar discovery there this summer, Yle reported.

Huhtaranta said he was fishing alone and found the pistol next to a pier after about half an hour of searching.

“I went to the beginning of the pier and tested throwing the magnet there. That is where it came up,” he said.

Huhtaranta called the emergency response centre, which told him not to touch the weapon. He said he was told that police would come and collect it.

According to Huhtaranta, police eventually took the badly rusted pistol into custody. The Häme police department told Yle it had no record on Wednesday of a task matching the description.

There is no detailed information about when the pistol was made or who may have owned it. Based on photographs, it appears to be a small pocket pistol.

Huhtaranta previously found another handgun with a friend at the harbour in June. During the summer, they have also found a handgun cartridge and a folding knife, along with various pieces of scrap and car tyres.

Huhtaranta said he plans to continue magnet fishing at the harbour as long as the weather permits. He would still like to find jewellery, he added.