UPDATE 2 - Finnish police shoot knife attacker

UPDATES DEATH TOLL, ADDS DETAILS

By Ilker Girit

ISTANBUL (AA) – Two people were killed and eight others injured Friday in a stabbing attack in Turku, a city in southwest Finland.

The attack was not considered an act of terrorism, Finland’s top police chief, Seppo Kolehmainen, said at a news conference.

Kolehmainen said the attack occurred at 4.00 p.m. local time (1300GMT) and the assailant was hospitalized after being shot in the leg.

“The suspect’s identity and nationality are yet to be determined,” he added.

Police said on Twitter that several people had been injured and warned the public to move away from the city center.

Images from the scene showed at least one body on the ground covered in a white sheet in the market area where the stabbings took place.

Video footage from Turku showed people running down the city's streets.

Local newspaper Turun Sanomat said Finnish police were stepping up security at transport sites, including Helsinki Airport.

Finnish premier Juha Sipilä said the government was monitoring the situation.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker condemned the “unprovoked attack, which comes only 24 hours after the horror that unfolded in Spain.

“I express my full solidarity with the security forces working to keep people safe on the ground as well as with all the people of Finland and Prime Minister Juha Sipilä,” he said.