Vaasa Court of Appeal Dismisses Terrorism Charges in Kankaanpää Case
The Vaasa Court of Appeal has dismissed terrorism-related charges against two men from Kankaanpää, upholding an earlier decision by the Satakunta District Court. The men, both in their thirties, had been accused of training for the purpose of committing a terrorist offense, with one also facing an explosives charge linked to terrorist intent.
The Court of Appeal ruled that while the defendants had radicalized and embraced a far-right accelerationist ideology, the evidence did not prove they had decided to carry out a specific terrorist act, such as an attack on a reception center. Helsingin Sanomat (HS) notes that the court found mere possession of explosives and admiration for far-right extremist ideologies—including neo-Nazi Siege accelerationism—insufficient to establish terrorist intent. Yle adds that the court concluded the men’s radicalization and ideological sympathies did not, on their own, demonstrate a concrete plan to commit terrorism.
Despite the dismissal of terrorism charges, the Court of Appeal increased the men’s sentences for other offenses. The main defendant, 30-year-old Aku Jussi Vihtori Mäkinen, had his initial suspended sentence of one year and four months converted to an unconditional prison term of two years and four months. He was convicted of aggravated assault, among other crimes. The second defendant received a conditional sentence of one year and eight months for aggravated extortion and coercion, an increase from the district court’s ruling.
Three other men were also sentenced in the case for unrelated offenses. The longest sentence—two years and three months—was given to 27-year-old Kimmo Jouni Santeri Nieminen for aggravated assault and aggravated extortion. HS reports that one of the aggravated assaults was motivated by the victim’s gender identity, leading to a harsher penalty. Another defendant’s sentence for coercion and aggravated extortion was increased by four months from the district court’s original ruling.
The crimes took place in Kankaanpää in 2019.