Criminal police hear several people over arson of railway warehouses

No connection established between arson and May Day Eve riot in same location

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The forensic examination of the arson of the former Finnish Railways warehouses in central Helsinki is at a delicate stage. The police confirm a clearer picture is emerging of the immediate events at the warehouses prior to the blaze, but admit that there are still some blank areas in the sequence of events.
      "We're progressing steadily. We are pleased to have found individuals who were in the neighbourhood just before the fire took place", confirms chief inspector Kari Tolvanen of the Helsinki Criminal Police.
     
On Monday, for example, the police heard around a dozen people with first-hand information about the events.
      "But we are still missing individuals who were in the immediate vicinity of the lighting of the blaze", Tolvanen explains.
      The investigators are particularly interested in hearing these people. A key witness or the main culprit could be found among them. "And this is what worries people", Tolvanen points out.
      "But we have ways of establishing whether a person is a suspect or merely a witness."
      Tolvanen refrains from revealing if any arrests are in the offing, or if any have been made yet.
      The technical details revealed by the forensic examination, such as whether the fire started from one place or from several locations simultaneously, are also kept from the public at this stage.
      "The perpetrator knows the details, and so do we", Tolvanen confirms.
     
The investigation into the cause of the fire continued on Monday, after a digger was used to pull down one of the walls of the southern warehouse. This was done to facilitate further forensic examinations.
      "We have found interesting stuff there, but these details are not yet publishable."
      The investigators took apart, combed, and screened the area, collecting samples in plastic bags, which will later be examined in a forensic lab, for example, for traces of lighter fluid.
      The police have also gone through the mass of photographs and video clips taken by the public, as well as images published on the Internet.
     
According to Tolvanen, at this stage there is no reason to suspect that the Friday arson and the May Day Eve rioting would have anything to do with each other, apart from sharing the same location.
      "Both events are being investigated in adjacent rooms and information is shared smoothly", Tolvanen confirms.
     
The work of demolishing the former warehouses began on Monday on schedule.
      Workmen removed the roof of the northern wing of the buildings, which was not affected by Friday's fire. The southern section of the site is still cordoned off for the police experts to work on, but it is not thought that the presence of the police will greatly affect the timetable of the demolition work, unless the police investigations become unexpectedly lengthy. The original plans called for the site to be cleared by mid-August.
      Friday's fire had certainly increased the presence of police and security guards on the site on Monday. None but the demolition workers were allowed through the perimeter fence around the area.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Police make progress in railway warehouse arson investigations (8.5.2006)

Helsingin Sanomat