Shooting rampage leaves 9 dead in Finland

TUUSULA, FINLAND — An 18-year-old gunman killed seven other students and the principal during a rampage through his high school here, and investigators suspect that he revealed plans for the carnage in Internet postings in which he urged revolution and grinned after target practice.

Investigators said the gunman, who was not identified, shot himself in the head after his attack at Jokela High School, about 30 miles north of the capital, Helsinki. He died at a hospital.

The teen killed five boys, two girls and the female principal with a .22-caliber pistol, police said. Authorities said one person was wounded by a bullet and about a dozen others suffered cuts and other injuries while fleeing.

Witnesses described a scene of mayhem, saying the gunman prowled the building looking for victims while shouting slogans for “revolution.”

Police Chief Matti Tohkanen said the youth didn’t have a criminal record. “He was from an ordinary family,” Tohkanen said. He said the teen belonged to a gun club and had obtained a license for the pistol Oct. 19.

Gun ownership is fairly common in Finland by European standards, but deadly shootings have been rare.

Investigators were searching for connections to the youth and a possible motive in YouTube postings that appeared to reveal plans for Wednesday’s attack.

One video -- since removed -- was titled “Jokela High School Massacre.”