Finland Times

A man with an axe on Wednesday evening attacked and hacked two men to death at a pub in Tuira area of Oulu, the police said.

The attacker rushed to the spot at about 6:00pm and chopped two people including an employee of the pub with an axe indiscriminately.

The police on late Wednesday night captured the man suspected of the killings.

The suspect was apparently nabbed at Myllyoja neighbourhood in Oulu, where a huge police operation was under way.

According to STT-Lehtikuva photographers, there were still many police officers and a number of ambulances at the site late in the night.

The Oulu police told STT that police work was still going on despite the capture of the suspect.

News agency STT had earlier reported that one of the victims of the axe killing was inside the pub while the other one was outside.

According to STT reporters, the area had been widely cordoned off, but there was movement of people still on a street nearby the pub.

The police confirmed that one of the victims was a male employee of the pub, reported the Finnish language evening tabloid Iltalehti.

A shopkeeper at a nearby store told STT reporters that the shop was forced to remain closed for a while after a boy came to the shop and informed what had happened in the pub.

The store, was however, opened again when security people arrived at the place.

Despite the police warning and thick snowfall, there was still a gathering of stunned onlookers at the scene of the crime.

Soon after the incident, candles were lit at the scene.

Eyewitnesses said they had seen the second victim lying on the ground outside the pub next to its little door.

A local resident, Raimo Siltakoski, said he was heading to the pub, but eventually changed his mind.

He said he was lucky not to go to the pub describing the situation as scary.

He also revealed that he had visited the pub last on Tuesday to watch an ice hockey match.

The suspect had earlier been described as about 180 centimetres  tall and dark skinned.