A man with a sword-like weapon and a firearm has killed one person and wounded at least nine others at a school inside a shopping centre in Finland, police said.
Police were forced to use a gun to stop the violence at the Herman shopping centre, which was evacuated, but did not confirm that they shot the suspect, who is a Finnish national.
The force said one person died and 10 people, including the suspect and a police officer, were injured. Two victims suffered serious injuries.
Prime minister Antti Rinne tweeted that the violence was "shocking and totally condemnable".
The shopping centre houses the Savo Vocational College, where the attacker allegedly entered with some sort of sword, according to Finnish media.
Finnish newspaper Iltalehti cited a witness saying the man was a student at the college.
A panic broke out among the students and some of them started to throw chairs at the attacker who fled the scene, it said.
One shocked eye witnessed told MTV News that the suspect came in and took out a sword from the bag he was carrying.
"Then he started stabbing as many as he had just hit. A classmate was one of them," Roosa Kokkonen said.
Ms Kokkonen, who works at a car service company nearby, said a woman was bleeding from a wound in her hand.
The school wrote on its website: "We have just had a serious incident at our Hermann office in Kuopio.
"The authorities and Savo Vocational College will inform when more information is available."
Mr Rinne responded to the incident, calling it "shocking and completely unacceptable".
He wrote on Twitter: "The violence at Savo Vocational College in Kuopio is shocking and completely unacceptable.
"I have discussed it with the Director General of Police and the government is monitoring the situation closely.
"On behalf of myself and the entire Government, I extend my condolences to all the relatives."
