Three Islamists Arrested in Finland on Suspicion of Belonging to a Terrorist Group

Finland's National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has arrested three foreign men suspected of involvement in the activities of the Islamic terrorist organization ISIS. Two of the suspects were born in the 1980s and one in the 1990s.

The police are not commenting on the possible crimes committed by the men, but under Finnish law, merely participating in the activities of a terrorist group can lead to a conviction. At this stage, however, nothing suggests that there has been a terrorism threat directed at Finland.

If the men are found guilty of involvement in a terrorist group, they will be sentenced to a minimum of four months and a maximum of eight years in prison.

So far, Finland has only had one Islamist terrorist attack. It occurred in Turku in 2017 when Abderrahman Bouanane, a Moroccan who came to Finland as an asylum seeker, randomly stabbed people, killing two of them.

For this act, Bouanane was sentenced to life imprisonment, from which the president can pardon him if desired—usually no earlier than after 12 years of imprisonment. It remains to be seen whether Finland’s first Muslim terrorist will ever be released.

In this regard, it is interesting that - relative to the size of Finland’s Muslim population - the country sent the highest number of terrorists to ISIS's caliphate in Syria and Iraq during the last decade. However, none of them have yet been convicted for their atrocities there. Additionally, the police have not suggested that the arrest of the current suspects is in any way related to ISIS’s caliphate.

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The Stabber Killed Three People in an Extremely Multicultural City
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Immigration-Specific Violent Crime Increases as Humanitarian Immigration Continues

Finland's new National Police Commissioner, Ilkka Koskimäki, told MTV3 that violent crime in Finland has changed. According to him, "the entire landscape of violent crime in Finland is in a state of transition and is changing. Traditionally, the typical homicide from decades ago was a dispute between alcoholics, but those cases have almost disappeared."

Instead – according to him – "we are now seeing more cases of polysubstance abuse, drugs in significant quantities, disputes among criminals, and new phenomena such as street gangs and honor-related violence. The nature of crime is somehow in transition."

The Police Commissioner also mentioned that "the highest number of serious violent crimes, meaning homicides and attempted homicides, occur... in the Tampere and Vantaa areas." However, he did not know why these particular cities were affected, the first being the center of the second-largest urban area in Finland, and the second essentially a suburban town of Helsinki.

* * *

It remains to be seen how violent crime and its distribution among Finnish cities will evolve in the coming years. However, it is clear that one of the key factors in this matter is the number of poorly integrated humanitarian immigrants in Finnish society.

After all, the growing phenomena mentioned by the Police Commissioner, such as street gang and honor-related violence, are almost exclusively associated with this group. Also, the shift in the drug situation is not unrelated to changes in the Finnish population, as the smuggling and trade of illegal substances have long been dominated by immigrants.

Thus, it remains to be seen how the situation will develop in Finland. In any case, people continue to arrive from countries where integration into Western culture is difficult. During the current year alone, the Finnish Immigration Service has thus far received first residence permit applications from, among others, 1 897 Bangladeshis, 1 445 Pakistanis, 1 120 Nigerians, 1 048 Turks, and 923 Iranians. Additionally, there are far more applications for renewals.

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The Green Movement of Finland is Lost

As my esteemed reader knows, Finland currently has a right-wing government that came to power a little over a year ago. Its task is to address the economic distress created by the previous center-left government, which scattered taxpayers' money with abandon. While the results are still modest, decisions have been made, and over time they promise to balance the public budget and kickstart economic growth, which has stagnated for a decade and a half.

In this regard, the situation is interesting because the Finnish green-left has been unable to do anything but criticize the government's decisions, without offering any alternatives. The most intriguing case is that of the Green Party, which has over the years drifted to the far left.

Its chairwoman, Sofia Virta, has repeatedly stated that her practically sole goal is to bring down the government. In the same breath, she has addressed issues related to humanitarian immigration, such as street violence, claiming that "the Finns Party doesn’t want to solve these problems. Their support is based on them."

This is strange, because it is precisely the Finns Party that has wanted to limit humanitarian immigration to a level where newcomers can be integrated into Finnish society. They have also criticized the provision of unconditional – and thus demotivating – social benefits to spontaneous immigrants.

Additionally, Virta has claimed that "the prime minister probably doesn’t lose a second of sleep worrying about how to get health centers and public services to function." This is, of course, a blatant lie, as it was the previous government—of which the Greens were a part—that carried out a healthcare reform that led to the collapse of the system. The current government has been particularly focused on correcting the mistakes made earlier.

Each individual can draw their own conclusions about the reasons behind the Green Party chairwoman's rhetoric. Personally, I suspect it is a panicked, primal reaction to the fact that the Greens’ support, which at its peak had one in six Finns behind it, has now dropped to half of that.

Sofia Virta will have no political future if this trend doesn’t reverse during her tenure. And, of course, it’s impossible to imagine that happening with the methods she’s currently employing. This is because, in Finland, smearing political opponents has never been valued; instead, constructive proposals and presenting alternatives are appreciated.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
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New aid package keeps Finland as one of Ukraine's biggest supporters

Finland is located next to Russia and is therefore one of the countries that might become a target of Vladimir Putin's aggression if he achieves even a partial victory in Ukraine.

For this reason, the Finns decided to join the Western defense alliance, NATO, immediately after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The nation was quite unanimous in this decision, even though before the invasion, the so-called "NATO option" had not been particularly popular among the public.

The Finns’ perspective changed because Russia's attack on Ukraine showed that the previous policy of appeasement was insufficient to prevent Russian aggression. For the same reason, Finns are currently quite united in their belief that Ukraine must be supported in its fight for independence.

For this reason, Finland is now sending its 25th aid package to Ukraine. After this, the total value of the defense material sent will rise to €2.3 billion, keeping Finland among the countries that have provided the most support to Ukraine in relation to the size of its economy.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
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Putin Set a Goal — Failure Would Be an Embarrassment

Yesterday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated on social media that Russia has successfully launched an offensive against Ukrainians in the Kursk region. President Vladimir Putin has also clarified the goal he has set for the Russian forces: the expulsion of Ukrainians from the Russian soil by the beginning of October.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has commented on the Russian offensive in the Kursk region, stating that everything is going according to Ukraine's plans. This likely suggests that the Russians have not made significant progress, at least in the first few days of their attack.

Therefore, it remains to be seen whether the Russians will succeed in their attempt to eliminate the war from their own soil, or if Ukraine will continue to remind them that they are still at war — and on their own territory, no less. What could be more embarrassing for self-made great men like Putin and Lavrov? 

* * *

Meanwhile, far in the north, there have been claims that drones are interfering with the Murmansk airport, with reports that two drones were even shot down. In relation to this, the Russians have been spreading disinformation, claiming that the drones supposedly came from Finland.

This claim is interesting because - if there truly were drones in Murmansk - it suggests that Moscow finds it too difficult to admit that such drones might have come all the way from Ukraine. Such an event would highlight the significant inability of the Russians to control their own airspace.

In any case, the war in Ukraine will continue, and the outcome remains uncertain. The only clear thing is that if the Russians manage to emerge even somewhat victorious, neighboring countries can be certain that sooner or later they, too, will face some sort of "special operations".

Therefore, it is extremely important to ensure that Ukrainians receive the necessary help from the West to defeat the Russian army. Additionally, in any potential peace negotiations, support must be given to the return of all territories occupied by Putin's forces — including Crimea — to Ukraine.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Finland Must Avoid Ukraine’s Fate
Turning Points in the War in Ukraine and the West's Responsibility
Vandalism in Northern Sweden - But Who Is Responsible?

The Difference Between Left-Wing and Right-Wing Envy

In Finland, a humorous anecdote is occasionally shared, in which the ethnicity of the characters change. One version goes as follows.

When a person from Kainuu sees that his neighbor is becoming wealthy, he becomes envious and immediately starts to think about how to bring the neighbor back to being as poor as he is. However, if someone becomes rich in South Ostrobothnia, the neighbor also becomes envious but instead starts feverishly thinking about how he could achieve the same success.

The anecdote is said to illustrate well the cultural differences between the populations of these two Finnish regions. The same story is also often told with the Kainuu resident replaced by a Finn and the Southern Ostrobothnian by an American. In this version, the story is said to depict the cultural differences between the inhabitants of the two countries.

In reality, the story best illustrates the difference between the political right and left. A socialist always aims to equalize income differences, so they naturally start thinking about how to tax the income and wealth of the rich as effectively as possible. In contrast, an economic liberal sees successful people as role models, whose achievements he should aspire to emulate.

This applies both to economically poor Kainuu and to the stronghold of Finland's political right in Southern Ostrobothnia. And it applies just as well to largely social-democratic Finland as to the United States, which thrives on market economy principles.

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Finland Must Avoid Ukraine’s Fate

The Commander of the Finnish Defence Forces, General Janne Jaakkola, reminded us Finns that we must never find ourselves in the same situation as Ukraine is in right now. In other words, we should avoid having to repel a full-scale Russian attack as an underdog, where losses in personnel and equipment do not matter.

He also emphasized that the structures of Finnish society must be such that Russia cannot influence the country’s population or infrastructure, even in a wartime scenario. This view has certainly been noted by the current government, as well as by the opposition, and it will not go without impact.

Finland’s defense naturally relies on the strong will of its citizens to defend the country, on high-performance equipment, as well as on the bilateral defense agreement (DCA) signed with the United States and the security guarantees provided by NATO membership. In relation to the latter – according to the Commander of the Defence Forces – discussions are currently underway regarding the nationalities and composition of the forces to be stationed in Finland.

The general also stated that Russia does not pose an immediate military threat to Finland at the moment. However, he expressed concern that we do not have a clear understanding of Russia’s future intentions in Finland or elsewhere.

This is also understood by ordinary Finns, as NATO is, according to a recent survey, the fourth most trusted institution in Finland, following the Defence Forces, the police, and the education system. This reflects the fact that living next to an irresponsible great power helps Finns prioritize things – and security can only come first in this regard.

In relation to what I’ve written above, I’ve sometimes had to answer questions about why the Finnish will to defend is exceptionally high. I believe it largely stems from some form of national memory, where key factors include the seemingly endless suffering during Sweden’s great power era when Finns were sent to die across Europe at the whims of the king.

In this regard, I see the final stages of that era in the early 18th century as particularly significant, when – while Finnish soldiers were fighting elsewhere – the Russians occupied Finland twice (Great Wrath and Russo-Swedish war (1741-1743), looting, raping, killing, and taking women and children as slaves in large numbers. This is something that we absolutely do not want to see repeated ever again.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
A Message From and To Vladimir Putin
Defending National Security: Finland's Response to Hybrid Warfare
History of Finland IV: The bleakest time in Finnish history

Turning Points in the War in Ukraine and the West's Responsibility

For a while, there was an interesting situation in the war in Ukraine: the Russians were advancing in the eastern parts of the country at the same time as Ukraine's offensive towards Kursk was making deeper inroads into Putin's realm. Although the latter operation has proven to be a success—and still is—the Russian advance towards the eastern Ukrainian transportation hub of Pokrovsk has been considered highly concerning from Ukraine's perspective.

Apparently, the Ukrainians share this concern, as they have transferred a small elite force to the area, which seems to have been able to halt the Russian advance with a counteroffensive—or even push them back. Time will tell whether the Russians will be able to continue their advance or if this was the end of it, at least for now.

Another piece of news from Ukraine concerns the new types of weapons that Zelensky's army has received. The first of these is a long-range missile/drone, soon to be followed by a ballistic missile. It remains to be seen how Ukraine will make use of these weapons.

The second new weapon in Ukraine's arsenal is a "dragon drone", capable of burning a long stretch of terrain by dropping incendiary materials onto the enemy like a flamethrower. One can only imagine what it must feel like for Russian soldiers in the trenches when attacked by such a device.

Of course, it remains to be seen what impact these new weapons systems will have on the course of the war. And at what point the Russians will develop their own dragon drone, turning the fight into an even more hellish experience for the Ukrainians.

* * *

The other question, of course, is how the war will progress. Right now, it seems that a quick resolution is not on the horizon, in either direction. And so, soldiers from both Russia and Ukraine will continue to be fed into the jaws of war—while Putin's army continues its terrorist attacks on civilian targets.

All in all, the war demonstrates to the entire world the absurdity of Russian imperialism, which is the cause of this idiotic conflict. The United States and the United Kingdom also have some soul-searching to do, as they, along with the Russians, convinced the Ukrainians during their independence that their sovereignty would be guaranteed even without nuclear weapons.

They have not done so but have instead allowed the Russians to freely practice their terrorist power politics towards Ukraine. They have shown that international agreements are worth little more than the paper—or nowadays, perhaps the computer memory—they are written on. This, to say the least, is shameful.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
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Turning Points in the War in Ukraine: New Threats and Unexpected Allies
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Will immigration give rise to a National Socialist party in Finland

In Germany, people are fed up with Berlin's immigration policy, as we could observe in the recent state elections. This is due to problems caused by certain groups of immigrants.

These problems continued when an Austrian Islamist, who apparently tried to reach the Israeli embassy, opened fire in Munich, resulting in the police ending his radicalism. One of the man's motives was likely the anniversary of the Munich massacre, where Palestinian terrorists killed eleven Israeli athletes.

This incident is unlikely to reduce the popularity of Germany's immigration-critical parties but will rather deepen Chancellor Olaf Scholz's troubles in leading the country. This may, in turn, lead to a real collapse of the Social Democrats (SPD) in next year's federal elections.

However, for the time being, there are no clear signs of this, although SPD's support has fallen in the polls from 24.1% in the 2021 federal election to around 15%. At the same time, particularly Sahra Wagenknecht's BSW party, which primarily represents national socialism and is critical of immigration, has increased its support from zero to eight percent - in other words, eating away a part of the SPD's support.

* * *

The situation of Germany's Social Democrats made me wonder whether a nationalist left-wing party could also emerge in Finland at some point. So far, especially the Left Alliance and the Greens, but also the SDP, have followed the traditions of international socialism - even though they no longer dare to call it internationalism - and thus there is no political home for nationalist leftists in Finland.

Of course, it is evident that there is currently no demand for such a party, but if Finland's growing immigrant population, like their German counterparts, increasingly profiles itself as a source of problems, such a movement could also emerge in our political left.

It is an undeniable fact that it is precisely the lower-income segment of the native population - and therefore often positively inclined towards socialism - that comes into the most contact with the population from developing countries. And thus, they also suffer the most from the negative side effects of immigration.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
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The Role of Ukraine Aid in the Elections of Thuringia and Saxony, Germany
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A Message From and To Vladimir Putin

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin stated that his favorite candidate for U.S. president is Kamala Harris. He explained that she might possibly refrain from imposing sanctions against Russia.

The question, of course, is why Putin commented on the U.S. elections. Did he genuinely want to express his support for the Democratic candidate, or was he rather trying to sabotage her campaign, knowing that not many Americans trust him at all?

My guess is that it's the latter. After all, he got along quite well with Donald Trump during Trump's previous presidency and probably assumes that it would be the same during a second term. This may or may not be the case, but in any case, Harris has already declared her support for Ukraine in its struggle for survival against Russia.

Therefore, for Americans, it's safest not to listen to Vladimir Putin and to make their voting decisions based on their own considerations. This ensures – if nothing else – that Putin cannot interfere in the elections of the largest democracy in the Western world.

Here in Finland, it has been noted with satisfaction that U.S. F-35 fighter jets have landed in Finland. These are the same aircraft that the Finnish Air Force has ordered for its next fleet, and the visit of the American planes sends a message to Putin and other Russian war hawks that it’s in their best interest to keep their own fighter jets out of Finnish airspace.

The visit of the top U.S. fighter jets to Finland was beneficial for the Americans as well. This can be inferred from the statement made by a U.S. Air Force general, who said, "The opportunity to learn from our Finnish counterparts enhances our ability to rapidly deploy and operate airpower from unconventional locations and reflects the collective readiness and agility of our forces."

This is exactly how cooperation should be: mutually beneficial for both parties!

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
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The Finnish Government is Unanimous on Fixing the Country's Economy

The Finnish economy is in poor condition for many reasons. However, the situation is about to change, as the government formed by the political right has decided to address the issue.

This is despite the fact that the opposition, led by the left, has done everything in its power to sow discord among the government parties. One party has been accused of racism, and another of favoring the wealthy. And so on.

Nevertheless, the relations between the governing parties seem to be working, as evidenced by the fact that a budget meeting planned for two days only took one day. And there is no doubt that the outcome will have economic impacts on the lives of ordinary Finns.

The government's decisions were varied. First of all, changes were made to taxation so that low- and middle-income people will have more of their salary left for personal use than before. On the other hand, spending was directed toward essential expenses, and therefore, significant cuts were made to less essential items, such as development aid.

Despite these decisions, Finland's economy will not turn around overnight. However, over time, especially the structurally important budget changes, such as better support for business innovation, will take effect and lift Finland's economy out of its current decline.

It is also certain that the political green-left will not stop offering socialist solutions. And if they come to power in the 2027 elections and undo the continuity of the decisions now made, Finland will face an even more challenging future than the present.

That is why it is important for voters to understand this and refrain from disrupting the positive progress that is currently underway. Personally, I believe in that.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
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Information for Asylum Seekers in Finland

Since the beginning of September, Finnish border control authorities have been able to direct asylum seekers from the country's external border to a border procedure. In this process, the border control authority registers the asylum seeker’s application and records their fingerprints, signature, and photograph.

Afterward, the applicant is directed to a reception center or a detention facility, and they are not allowed to leave the premises until a decision on the asylum application has been made. If the grounds for the application indicate that there is no need for further processing, the application may be rejected or processed in an expedited procedure, after which the applicant must leave the country.

The Finnish government is currently preparing also a legislative amendment concerning the reception of those seeking international protection, as well as the identification and assistance of victims of human trafficking. Once it comes into effect, the reception allowance will be reduced to the minimum allowed by the Constitution and the Reception Directive.

With these decisions, Finland is aligning its humanitarian immigration policy to better fulfill its purpose—ensuring the rights of those in genuine need while preventing the settlement of people who arrive due to economic or social security reasons, or as a result of hybrid influence by foreign powers.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
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The Role of Ukraine Aid in the Elections of Thuringia and Saxony, Germany

The state elections in Thuringia and Saxony of Germany ended in success for the Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the BSW party. The former party is considered conservative, right-wing, and nationalist. The latter, on the other hand, is a conservative, nationalist and socialist party.

Many media outlets have emphasized that the election victories of these parties were due to opposition to both immigration and Germany's support for Ukraine. Fortunately, there is also data on this matter.

According to this data, voting in Thuringia was primarily driven by the following reasons: 1. crime and internal security, 2. social security, and 3. immigration. In other words, the war in Ukraine had little impact on Thuringians' voting behavior.

Similarly, in Saxony, voting was mainly influenced by the following reasons: 1. social security, 2. crime and internal security, and 3. immigration. There have also been reports on voting reasons by party. For AfD voters, the three most important voting motives were the same, except that social security was replaced by economic development. Thus, support for Ukraine was not a significant criterion for party choice in general, nor for AfD voters.

However, it did have some relevance, at least in Saxony, where among BSW voters, it ranked as the second most important voting reason after social security, and ahead of crime and internal security. In other words, the desire to cut off Germany's aid to Ukraine was only important to voters of the party built on national socialism in Germany.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Afghans Had to Go

The Stabber Killed Three People in an Extremely Multicultural City
The Social Democrats of Germany Supporting Putin

Vandalism in Northern Sweden - But Who Is Responsible?

Sweden is becoming quite well known for the crime caused by immigrants—drug trafficking, gang shootings, sending children to neighboring countries to commit crimes, rapes, and so on. However, I believe that the case that has now come to light is about something else.

In northern Sweden’s Kiruna, four drilling machines that were used to explore a mineral deposit have been vandalized. The damage was discovered on Friday, and a police report has been filed.

The vandalism occurred in an area where iron ore and critical minerals were recently found. The damaged machines, located in the forest, were used for drilling. The water hoses and tires have been slashed, and the fuel cans have been emptied.

After the incident, LKAB, the company responsible for the drilling, has strengthened the protection of the drilling machines and contacted the Swedish Security Service. The reason for this is that the area holds strategic importance, as the work done there is part of the EU's critical minerals strategy.

It remains to be seen whether the perpetrators of the sabotage are Swedish or from elsewhere. Personally, I suspect that it might very well be forces taking orders from the east, those currently waging one of the most foolish wars in world history against Ukraine.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Sweden's Rapid Demographic Shift Causes Challenges
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History of Finland VIII: Joining of Finland to Russia led to an increase in crime