Finnish police see no political, racist motive for Tampere stabbings

HELSINKI (Reuters) -Finnish police said on Friday a man held over a stabbing attack in the southwestern city of Tampere on Thursday in which four people were injured told them he had no racist or political motive for the deed and had attacked people randomly.

Police said the suspect, who was arrested shortly after the deed near a shopping mall in Finland's third-biggest city, was a 23-year-old Finnish man with a previous criminal history.

"He states that he has no racist or terrorist motive whatsoever in this matter. He did not know these victims beforehand, nor does he remember whom he stabbed," Detective Chief Inspector Sakari Tuominen said.

"When asked why he committed such an act, the perpetrator says that all people are enemies. Everyone is watching him. People get what they deserve. Everyone is the same evil mass against him," Tuominen told a press conference.

Police said the victim's injuries were serious. Three of the victims are female, aged 40, 52 and 35 respectively, while the fourth is a man aged 35.

(Reporting by Anne Kauranen, writing by Louise Breusch Rasmussen, editing by Anna Ringstrom, William Maclean)