Operations initiated by the Finnish Security Intelligence Service in 2009 lead to the arrests of two people earlier this month, one man and one woman, marking the country's first-ever arrests for terrorist activities. Though Finnish authorities have released little specific information about the suspects, the New York Times reports that the two have "foreign" backgrounds (in relation to Finnish people) and that they are suspected of recruiting and financing terrorists. It is believed that the suspects' plans were not aimed at Finland and that they were associated with "far away" terrorist groups, according to Detective Inspector Kaj-Erik Bjorkvist of the National Bureau of Investigation. The arrests were made on September 7, and the Helsinki District Court ruled on September 10 that they could be detained for up to two weeks, at which point another custody hearing will probably be held.
Paivi Rasanen, Finland's top police official, says that Finns should not be frightened or worried about the arrests, and the situation will not raise the nation's perceived security threat level, which remains low.
Maci Mitchell
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