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Finnish citizen makes suicide attack in Iraq: Finland's intelligence agency

Xinhua, November 23, 2016 Adjust font size:

The Finnish Security Intelligence Service (SUPO) said on Tuesday that a Finnish citizen took part in a suicide attack in Iraq and killed himself.

At a press conference on Tuesday, Antti Pelttari, director of SUPO, told Finnish media that the Finnish citizen left Finland to join the radical organization Islamic State (IS) before he mounted the suicide bombing attack.

Pelttari did not disclose the exact time when the incident happened and the number of victims involved.

It was the first time that a Finnish citizen was reported to have conducted a suicide bombing attack in the conflict area, he confirmed.

So far, a total of at least 80 fighters have left Finland to join the IS.

Pelttari was quoted by the daily Turun Sanomat as saying that the number was still gradually increasing.

Pelttari expressed great concern that Finland became a target of the propaganda of the IS. He said the possibility of a terror attack in Finland was now higher than ever before.

The latest threat assessment was made by the intelligence agency in November last year. The assessment claimed that the risk of terror in Finland rose, but the country was not a primary target for any terrorist group. Endit