Police say he kept the 26-year-old woman prisoner for more than two weeks in a sound-proofed room in a flat in Turku. He demanded -- and received -- millions of euros in ransom from her family, part of the Kone manufacturing dynasty. The case is unprecedented in Finland.

The suspect faces up to 10 years in prison. When the trial begins, probably next autumn, Turunen will be represented by one of Finland's best-known attorneys, Aarno Arvela.

At Wednesday's hearing, the suspect was accompanied by Arvela's assistant, Heidi Kajander. She confirmed that their client had confessed to the crime, adding that they had no further comment at this stage.

Chief Inspector Juha Rautaheimo, who is leading the investigation, told YLE earlier that he considered the suspect's description of the events to constitute a confession.

Rautaheimo said the kidnapping had been carefully planned, probably since the beginning of this year. It remains unclear whether the kidnapper acted alone.

The Security Police (Supo) will present an evaluation of the kidnapping to the government on Tuesday. The cabinet is to discuss the matter on Tuesday afternoon.

The victim was taken from her home in Helsinki in the middle of the day on May 27, and was found early Saturday in a forest in the south-western municipality of Rusko, near Turku.

The 44-year-old suspect had worked for Turku University and was an SDP candidate in last autumn's municipal elections.

Kidnapper's Mistakes Helped Police