Police Chief Denies Blocked Gun Confiscation Order

Police Commissioner Mikko Paatero has refuted reports published in the tabloid Ilta-Sanomat, which claim that the police inspector who interviewed the Kauhajoki gunman on Monday had earlier prevented the confiscation of the man's handgun.

In an interview with the Finnish News Agency STT, the police chief said that he had information about the events of the weekend preceding the shootings, but was unable to comment because the matter was under investigation.

The STT report was republished in the Helsingin Sanomat newspaper.

Paatero reminded STT that in the first press conference after the incident, he had revealed that police officers tried to contact the gunman Matti Saari as early as the previous Friday, but were unsuccessful because he had apparently travelled to his home town.

On Saturday the tabloid Ilta-Sanomat reported that police had received orders to relieve Saari of his weapon on the previous weekend, but that their superior officer had blocked the confiscation. On Monday, the eve of the horrific shooting, the same detective inspector had spoken to Saari and allowed him to keep his gun license.

The Ilta-Sanomat report goes on to say that police visited Saari's home on Friday, but he was not at home. That operation was authorised by Matti Nyrhinen, the Seinäjoki Deputy Police Chief, since the inspector responsible was not at work. The officers were to complete their mission on Sunday, but the detective inspector prohibited the patrol from going to Saari's home.

Nyrhinen, who gave the order to retrieve the firearm, did not comment on the course of events to Ilta-Sanomat.

Police were unable to break into Saari's home during his absence because he was not suspected of any particular crime. The visit was based on suspicious material found on the Internet.

Saari went on to claim 10 victims in a shooting and arson rampage at the Kauhajoki Vocational High School last Tuesday, before turning the gun on himself. He succumbed to his injury later that night.