Myyrmanni Shopping Center Bombing

Date: October 11, 2002 • Location: Kaarela, Finland

A bomb exploded in the Myyrmanni shopping center in Helsinki, Finland (aftermath pictured), resulting in seven deaths and 159 injuries.

The Myyrmanni bombing took place on October 11, 2002, in Myyrmäki, Vantaa, Finland, in Greater Helsinki, at the Myyrmanni shopping mall. A bomb hidden in a backpack exploded in the center of the mall, killing seven people including the bomber. The blast left a 10-cm deep crater in the floor and blew out the glass dome of the mall. The dead included two teenagers and a seven-year-old. 159 people were injured, including 10 children. 66 victims required hospitalization while the remainder were treated and released at the scene. The bombing took place during the pre-weekend shopping surge late on a Friday afternoon, with 1,000–2,000 people in the shopping center, including many children who had come to see a clown performance.