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Finnish finance minister's residence assaulted intentionally: police

Xinhua, August 19, 2015 Adjust font size:

Finnish police said on Wednesday the violence against the house of Finance Minister Alexander Stubb early on Tuesday was intentional.

As a neighboring child care centre was also attacked, there was first speculation that Stubb's residence was chosen randomly.

Based on surveillance camera video, the police are looking for two young men, but have said no motive is known. There was no attempt of actually entering the house as only windows had been broken.

Talking to newsmen, Stubb said that Finland remains "an open and permissive society, where no one needs to fear violence." "No Finn should give in to being afraid," Stubb said.

Top politicians live in Finland as any citizen. There are practically no "gated communities" in Finland. Only the president and prime minister have official residences.

Attacks against cabinet level politicians are rare, but not unprecedented. In 2013, eggs were thrown at the house of the then Minister of the Interior Paivi Rasanen. In 1992 during the major recession of the time, the then Finance Minister Iiro Viinanen received a bomb threat. In 2012, a man showed a knife close to the then Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen but did nothing. Enditem