Pirkanmaa District Court has handed down a suspended prison sentence of one year and five months to a 16-year-old teenager accused of taking part in a plot to carry out a violent attack on students and staff at a college in Tampere.
The other defendant in the case, an 18-year-old male, was ordered by the court to undergo a psychological assessment — with his verdict delayed until after the court has received the results.
The older defendant was a student at the target of the planned attack, Tampere Vocational College (Tredu), while the younger was not.
During the trial, the court heard that the two suspects drew up a detailed plan for carrying out a massacre at the school, which was broken down into six stages culminating in "judgement day" — planned for either spring or autumn 2026.
The defendants had acquired a floor plan of the school and took photographs of the location.
Defendants deny accusations, claim defence of 'LARPing'
In its ruling, the court noted that the two young men had grim and anti-social mindsets, and the 18-year-old in particular seemed to idolise school shooters who had gained publicity with their actions.
Their plan included stealing two shotguns from a gun cabinet owned by one of the 16-year-old defendant's relatives, although police believe they ultimately only handled the weapons and left them in the cabinet.
There was evidence however that they made and tested Molotov cocktails.
Both defendants had denied the charges.
They said they had no intention of carrying out the act, but were instead 'LARPing' (Live-action role playing) — a practice in which participants act out 'characters' in real-life situations.
The court dismissed this explanation, however.
The court's verdict in the case of the 16-year-old defendant is not yet legally binding, meaning that it can be appealed to a higher court.
