Turkish Embassy in Helsinki attacked with smoke grenade

HELSINKI

A group of masked assailants attacked the Turkish Embassy in Finland on Oct. 25 using a smoke grenade and paint, the Turkish diplomatic sources and the Helsinki police have announced.

The sources from the embassy said the attackers arrived on Wednesday at the scene in the Finnish capital Helsinki on rental bicycles.

Helsinki Police Department also confirmed that law enforcement and rescue teams came to the building upon reports of smoke rising from the embassy grounds.

“According to eyewitnesses, a group of four people was walking around the embassy at the time of the act and left the place after the incident. So far, the police have not reached the persons,” the police said in a statement on X.

“The police continue to investigate the course of events and assess the matter. A criminal complaint has been registered about the incident. The crimes will be specified as the investigation progresses,” it added.

Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen said on X that she was "saddened by the vandalism of the Turkish Embassy."

"Hostile acts against diplomatic missions are reprehensible. The police are investigating; I believe that we will soon get more information about what happened," she noted.

The Turkish Embassy appreciated Valtonen for the remarks and said that “they are waiting for the result of the police investigation.”