The Helsinki Police Department has suspended the sergeant due to a suspected crime according to the decision of the court seen by Yle.
An investigation by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) into the assassination attempt on a politician in Finland has led to criminal charges against a police officer, the afternoon newspaper Iltalehti (IL) said on Thursday.
Police are testing a serious attack last summer Pekka Kataja, party’s election leader in Central Finland. The attack took place last July in Jämsänkoski, south-central Finland.
During the investigation, law enforcement authorities found racist messages apparently sent by Helsinki police on the phone of the previous suspect.
Police spoke out about the possible charges
Sergeant, a 25-year-old veteran of the troops, was suspended for the time being in early October, Helsinki Police Communications Director Juha Hakola confirmed to Yle. The official remains segregated, at least during the preliminary investigation and possible trials, Yle has learned.
Any charges and the reasons for the decision will remain confidential.
According to the newspaper, the officer is suspected of inciting the ethnic group on the basis of racist messages sent to a former suspect in the Kataja case.
The messages criticized immigrants on terms that justified the opening of a preliminary investigation, IL says. The sergeant has interviewed the NBI held by the officer’s cell phone.
According to the IL, the officer has refused to commit any crimes and rejected his message only as humorous hints.
IL: The official exchanged messages with the Soldiers of Odin activist
A man previously suspected of attempted murder has been released and is no longer a suspect. The man has been actively involved in the far right, including the Odin soldiers and the National Alliance (Alliance of Nationalists), the newspaper says.
Police are aware of an immigration-critical view that speaks as an individual about the alleged risks associated with reception centers for asylum seekers. The sergeant has also claimed that it is dangerous for young Finnish women to have dating relationships with men with a foreign background, IL adds.
According to a 2017 IL police survey, the Conservative National Coalition Party (NCP) and the Finnish Party were by far the most popular political parties among the police force.
In the previous parliamentary elections, 26.5 per cent of respondents said they had voted for the national party, while 24.8 per cent said they had voted for the Finnish party. The center was by far third with 11.3 percent.
Source: The Nordic Page