Turku murders suspect found normal during attack

A Moroccan man, accused of killing two and injuring eight others in Turku, Finland in August last year, was in normal mental condition when committing the crimes, local media reported on Friday.

Finnish National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) concluded that Abderrahman Bouanane, the 23-year-old suspect of the alleged terror attack, should be criminally responsible for his actions, said the media reports.

THL submitted its appraisal to the Southwest Finland District Court on Tuesday. The court ordered the psychiatric assessment last October, saying that the accused had requested the evaluation.

In early February, Finnish police revealed details of its investigation, concluding that Bouanane had acted alone.

At the end of last month, Finnish prosecutors announced the charges for Bouanane, saying that he would be charged on two counts of murder with terrorist intent and eight counts of attempted murder with terrorist intent.

National broadcaster Yle reported that a preliminary hearing will take place on March 20.

Jussi Tapani, professor of criminal law at the University of Turku, told Yle that the prosecutors might demand the most severe punishment for the accused. "In practice, this means requiring a life sentence for punishment," said Tapani.