A young man suffered a stab wound during a fight in central Helsinki early on Sunday, prompting police to launch an attempted murder investigation after officers arrested a suspect near the scene.
The incident took place shortly after 3.30am on Mannerheimintie outside the Stockmann department store, opposite the Forum shopping centre.
According to Tapio Hyvönen, the duty detective chief inspector at Helsinki Police, the violence followed an argument involving several people.
“There was some kind of verbal dispute between a number of people, and it developed into a physical confrontation or fight,” Hyvönen told Finnish media.
Police said a man born in 1983 is suspected of stabbing a man born in 1999 in the upper body during the altercation. Investigators said the injuries were serious enough for the case to be treated as suspected attempted murder at the preliminary investigation stage.
Officers arrested the suspect close to the scene shortly after the incident. He remained in police custody on Sunday while the investigation continued.
Emergency medical personnel treated the victim before he was taken to hospital. Police have not released details about his condition.
Investigators said they have not yet established whether the suspect and the victim knew each other before the incident. Police also said interviews with the suspect had not yet taken place as the investigation remained at an early stage.
Iltalehti first reported the incident.
HT