Finland 2022
13/01/2022: The Finnish Government proposed amendments to the Act on the Prevention of Money Laundering and the Financing of Terrorism and the Act on Financial Supervision in order to expand and make stricter the punishable scope of terrorism crimes such as the participation in the activities of a terrorist group. The new laws will enter into force in April 1, 2022. (Source)
16/01/2022: It was repeatedly reported that Finland was one of the few Western countries where not a single person who returned from IS territory has been convicted of terrorist crimes despite political efforts to strengthen legislation against terrorism. Researcher Juha Saarinen submitted his analysis about Finland impediments in this regard. According to him, this would be due to a combination of factors namely that investigating terrorist crimes is often a challenging, expensive and slow process. Moreover, Finland's legislation on terrorism is inadequate. Despite the fact that many who have traveled to conflict zones have participated in Jihadist movements, they have not necessarily done so in a way that would have been criminalized. This is partly because extremism in Finland has been very limited, especially before 2012. Consequently, Finland had fewer reasons to develop legislation focusing on the phenomenon. Finally, Saarinen points out the high requirements for preliminary investigations since the information collected in preliminary investigations has often proven to be insufficient to initiate a criminal investigation. (Source)
29/03/2022: Supo has published the 2021 Yearbook summarizing the trends of terrorism threat recorded throughout 2021 notably the return of Talibans in Afghanistan in August 2021. Finnish authorities dismiss the prospect of Finnish foreign fighters heading there as they did in the 2010's for Syria, in teh short-term at least. However the possibility of local attacks is considered and the most significant capacity to engage in violent operations is reportedly found among individuals who have fought or otherwise worked for terrorist organisations in conflict zones, and those with a violent background. (Source)
16/04/2022: Supo reported that the security situation in Finland reflects international trends, and as such, the risk of minors becoming involved in terrorist activities has also increased in Finland just like more people under the age of 18 have indulged in terrorist activities in Europe in the past couple of years since they are particularly receptive to the influence of activities and propaganda. (Source)
06/09/2022: The Iraqi twins who were found not guilty of terrorism crimes back in February 2020 are demanding additional compensation from the Finnish state for the time they spent in prison during the investigation and trial of the terrorism case. The State Treasury paid a compensation of over 213,000 euros to the men who were found innocent after being imprisoned for almost a year and a half. According to them, their loss of liberty caused them significantly greater suffering and although the State opposes any increase in compensation, their demand was assessed by the Helsinki District Court which ultimately rejected their claims in September 16, 2022. (Source)
10/10/2022: Finland has been singled out by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, which accuses it of having violated children's rights by allowing its young nationals to endure the dire living conditions of the al-Hol camp in Syria. Around thirty Finnish Jihadists who joined IS were detained in Syria with their children and as soon as 2019, Finnish authorities designed an Action Plan to repatriate them. According to the commission, Finland has the responsibility and power to protect Finnish children from imminent danger to their lives. Although 15 children were successfully repatriated in 2020, there are still others who remain in the camp. The special envoy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jussi Tanner, declared that if repatriations were carried out in 2021, they remain lower than those of 2020. The repatriation plan cost 560,000 euros and recently the funds are more linked to security arrangements made by Finland without real spending in 2022. However, according to Tanner, The current situation in the prison camp is unbearable indeed and as soon as an opportunity presents itself, the mission will continue. (Source)
17/11/2022: Finnish authorities have published their National Counter-Terrorism Strategy that shall be Finland security framework until 2025. In this new updated version, Finland highlights the importance of respect for the rule of law as well as for fundamental and human rights also in counter-terrorism. The Strategy acknowledges that Finland's most likely threats emanate either from Far-Right or Islamist ideologies and that loose networks unconnected to prominent organisations such Al-Qaeda and IS may possibly rise though individual actors or small groups with easily accessible equipment. (Source)
16/12/2022: Finnish authorities have arrested a 21-year-old Spanish resident who was training to carry out a terrorist attack. Although the police initially thought that the individual was acting alone, it was eventually established that he had obtained equipment and guides relating to the use of firearms and the making of explosives from Jihadist organizations on the internet. An assault rifle he had trained with was found in his car and it appears he was planning to travel to Syria or West Africa. The suspect who was monitored by authorities since 2019, denied the charges against him and declared that his links with Islamists on the internet are only out of personal interest in the subject of Islamism. (Source)