Finland School Massacre Linked To YouTube Video

Seven people were shot and killed at the Jokela High School in Tuusula, Finland just hours after a video posted on YouTube warned that such an attack would occur:

The YouTube video, set to hard-driving music, shows a still photo of a school that appears to be the school. The photo then fragments to reveal a red-tinted picture of a man pointing a gun at the camera.

Three people were wounded in the shooting, according to early reports. One of those shot was the school principal, said Tuula Panula, spokeswoman for the Tuusula municipality, some 40 miles from the Finnish capital Helsinki.

"He (the gunman) was moving systematically through the school hallways, knocking on the doors and shooting through the doors," Kim Kiuru, a teacher at the school, said at the scene.

"It felt unreal, a pupil I have taught myself was running toward me, screaming, a pistol in his hand."

The YouTube video is entitled "Jokela High School Massacre - 11/7/2007" and was posted by a user called Sturmgeist89. "Sturmgeist" means storm spirit in German.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the families and all those affected by this vicious criminal act.

Expect the usual questions over what officials could have done and whether they knew about the video posted soon enough to take preventive actions.

UPDATE:
The murderer has been identified as Pekka Eric Auvinen and the death toll is now eight. Also, it appears that YouTube is removing videos belonging to Auvinen. His videos included numerous references to Nazis.

The shooting, believed to be the first of its kind in Finland's history, was the work of Pekka Eric Auvinen, who police said is from Tuusula and who acted alone. He had no previous criminal record and had never threatened anyone from the school before, they added.

Auvinen published a manifesto online demanding war on the "weak-minded masses" and pledged to die for his cause.

YouTube appeared to have removed 89 videos linked to his account, many of them featuring Nazi imagery, shortly after the incident.

Finnish media reported someone posted a message two weeks ago on the Web site, warning of a bloodbath at the school.

A video posted earlier Wednesday, by "Sturmgeist89", was titled "Jokela High School Massacre - 11/7/2007." "Sturmgeist89" identified himself as Auvinen, and said he chose the name "Sturmgeist" because it means "storm spirit" in German.

The video showed a picture of the school, which then disintegrated to reveal two images of Auvinen against a red background, pointing a gun at the screen.

The clip is accompanied by the track "Stray Bullet", by rock band KMFDM, whose lyrics were also quoted by Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, the students behind the Columbine High School massacre of 1999.

UPDATE:
The NYT blog notes the Finnish school massacre and relates it back to the US experience with such incidents - finding that the blame rests with American culture. Seems that the blogger, Mike Nizza, ignores a far more deadly trend in attacks at schools - Islamic terrorism.

Beslan goes unmentioned. As does the recurring theme of Islamists attacking schools and teachers in Thailand.

Schools have been attacked in Afghanistan as well, especially if those schools are admitting and teaching girls.

When all else fails, ignore the inconvenient facts?