Finnish court names knife attack suspect

Pic Courtesy- Reuters

Helsinki: The Moroccan asylum seeker who told a court he killed two women in a knife attack in Finland is called Abderrahman Bouanane, legal papers showed on Monday.

Court documents also showed that the suspect - previously named by officials as 18-year-old Abderrahman Mechkah - is 22-years-old.

Finnish police said on Sunday the suspect gave officials a false identity when he entered the country in 2016.

Eight other people were wounded in the August 18 knife attack in the south-western city of Turku, which is being investigated as Finland’s first terrorism-related assault.

The suspect, who remains in custody, has told a court he was responsible for the attack but denied his motive was terrorism.

He arrived in Finland in 2016, lived in a reception centre in Turku and was denied asylum before the attack.