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2002 Vantaa bombing
Location Vantaa, Finland
Date October 11, 2002
Attack type bombing
Deaths 7 (including the perpetrator)
Injured 166
Perpetrator(s) Petri Erkki Tapio Gerdt

The Myyrmanni bombing took place on October 11, 2002 in the Myyrmäki, Vantaa, Finland, in Greater Helsinki, in the local Myyrmanni shopping mall. The bomb killed seven, including two teenagers, a 7-year-old child and the bomber. 166 people were injured, including 10 children. 66 victims required hospitalization with the remainder treated and released at the scene.1 The shopping center was particularly crowded, with almost 2000 people, including many children who had come to see a clown performance.

The bomber was Petri Erkki Tapio Gerdt (April 17, 1983 - October 11, 2002), a 19-year-old chemical engineering student from EVTEK (Espoo-Vantaa Institute of Technology) and a hobbyist bomb-maker. He was a frequent user of a chemistry-related web forum Kotikemia ("home chemistry") under the username rc. The explosive device was constructed in his apartment, weighed about 2-3 kilograms and consisted of ammonium nitrate and nitromethane with shotgun pellets.1 The motive of his deed is unclear: it is suspected that the bomb exploded prematurely and by accident. According to the police, the use of pellets to increase lethality hints that Gerdt's intention might have been to leave the bomb in the mall and remotely detonate it after leaving. Petri's father, Armas Gerdt, noted that Gerdt used to detonate his home-made explosives in the woods nearby and suspects that he was transporting the bomb to be set off elsewhere.2 The possibility of Gerdt having links to any radical groups or terrorist organizations has been ruled out.

Armas Gerdt has also written the book Petrin matka Myyrmanniin, "Petri's Path to Myyrmanni", about the incident. The moderator of Kotikemia was acquitted of responsibility in court. The bombing was particularly shocking for Finland and the other Nordic countries, where bombings are extremely uncommon.

References

  1. ^ a b Torkki, Markus; Virve Koljonen, Kirsi Sillanpää1, Erkki Tukiainen, Sari Pyörälä, Esko Kemppainen, Juha Kalske, Eero Arajärvi, Ulla Keränen, Eero Hirvensalo (August 2006). "Triage in a Bomb Disaster with 166 Casualties". European Journal of Trauma 32 (4): 374–80. doi:10.1007/s00068-006-6039-8. 
  2. ^ Räty, Panu (10, 2004). "Poikani Petri Gerdt". the Helsingin Sanomat monthly supplement. http://www2.hs.fi/extrat/kuukausiliite/arkisto/2004/10_2/. 

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