Suspected kidnapper believed to have acted alone

Turunen remanded in custody

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Police investigating the kidnapping of 26-year-old Minna Nurminen, a member of the Herlin industrial dynasty, do not believe that the suspect, corporate lawyer Juha Turunen, had any accomplices. However, Juha Rautaheimo, the head of the police investigation into the matter, says that the question of whether or not Turunen acted alone is still under investigation.
      Turunen appeared at a remand hearing on Tuesday. He did not challenge his continued incarceration. Rautaheimo says that Turunen has also expressed remorse during his interrogations.
     
Nurminen was kidnapped at her home in Helsinki on May 27th. She was held captive in a private apartment in Turku for two weeks against a ransom of EUR 8-10 million.
      Turunen was arrested in Turku in the early hours of Saturday. Nurminen had been found a few hours earlier in a forest in nearby Vahto.
     
The victim is not believed to have been physically mistreated during her captivity.
      Rautaheimo would not immediately say how the victim was actually taken from the apartment. He said that the stories of both Turunen and Nurminen corroborated each other on the events.
      Police say that during the kidnapping, the police got occasional proof that Nurminen was still alive. However, Rautaheimo would not would not give any further details on the nature of the evidence.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Member of Herlin industrial dynasty held hostage for over two weeks (15.6.2009)

Helsingin Sanomat