Turku attack suspect influenced by radicalism, wishes to join IS

The main suspect of the Turku stabbings had been influenced by religious radicalism and wanted to join the Islamic State (IS), reported Finnish national broadcaster Yle on Wednesday.

The suspect, known to Finnish authorities as Abderrahman Mechkah, arrived in Finland in December 2016 to apply for asylum. Before the horrible attack, he had lived in the Pansio reception center in Turku, southwestern Finland.

According to Yle, during his stay at the reception center, Mechkah was observed to have radical views and behavior, such as listening to radical sermons on his phone, claiming he had killed someone in Morocco, and making death threats when annoyed.

Mechkah had also searched information on how to join IS. He had been warned by the management of the reception center more than once about his behavior, said the report.

Yle said that Mechkah spent much of his time with a group of Moroccan men, who were suspected of having participated in the Turku stabbing attack.

Yle quoted witnesses as saying that an older man from abroad was observed to be with the group last winter. He seemed wealthy and to have exerted influence on younger members of the group.

People who knew Mechkah believed that other members of the group had helped deepen Mechkah's radicalization, and speculated that he might not have planned the attack alone.

Yle also said the suspect's real name was probably not Abderrahman Mechkah as he claimed to the police. According to German media, before coming to Finland, Mechkah had lived in Germany, where he had used several different identities.

Mechkah is suspected of multiple stabbings in Turku last Friday that left two Finnish women dead and eight others injured.

At the court hearing on Tuesday, Mechkah admitted his action leading to two deaths but denied having committed murders.

source: Xinhua