The shocking school shooting in Finland late yesterday has ignited calls for state-sponsored web monitoring amid concerns over a teenage gun culture emerging in the country.
Finland, which has a high proportion of legitimate gun ownership in relation to the national pastime of hunting, was rocked by the actions of student Matti Juhani Saari, who killed 10 people before turning his gun on himself. His actions mirror a 2007 massacre at another Finnish school.
Saari posted a chilling video to the web beforehand showing him engaging in target practice with a handgun before making an alarming threat of "You're next" before firing several rounds at the camera. The revelation has led to calls for tougher policing of the internet.
Police were alerted to the video posted by Saari and even questioned him, but decided to release him.
He was not detained because the videos "did not threaten anyone" directly, said Finland's police chief - highlighting the difficulty in judging the risk of postings on the internet.
Finland's Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen said authorities needed to look into what can be done to better protect citizens, including possible changes in internet monitoring and tougher gun laws.
