Finnish police are investigating a series of suspected break-ins at the homes of parliamentarians, officials said Thursday.
A journalist asked Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo if a foreign power could be behind the alleged intrusions, and he replied that it was “very possible… quite possible in these times.”
“If someone tries to destabilize Finland, our sense of security or our support, for example, for Ukraine, it has the opposite effect. It strengthens our unity,” he added.
For his part, Finnish President Alexander Stubb declared: “An attack on a parliamentarian is an attack on democracy.”
What do we know about break-ins?
After media reports of the alleged intrusions, Parliament Speaker Jussi Halla-aho confirmed that Parliament had been informed of a “significant” number of break-ins and attempted intrusions into the homes of several politicians.
“I cannot comment precisely on the number of suspected cases that we are aware of, but in any case it is significant,” Halla-aho told a news conference.
He added, however, that the known cases had occurred over a longer period of time, with the first appearing to have been about a year ago.
Halla-aho also stressed that at this stage, no information is available on the motive or the perpetrator.
Paula Risikko, vice president who heads the parliamentary security group, said she was informed of the suspicions last week.
She added that the Helsinki police had been tasked with the first stage of the investigation.
MPs are urged to remain vigilant
Earlier this week, the newspaper Ilta-Sanomat reported that deputies had been warned of possible break-ins and that the newspaper was aware of at least two break-ins at their homes.
All deputies were asked to remain vigilant, report any suspicious activity and file a police report if necessary.
Helsinki police confirmed that a preliminary investigation had been opened. “The investigation is in its early stages and the police have nothing further to comment at this time,” he said.
Since the Kremlin began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Finland has been on high alert. The Nordic country, which shares a 1,340-kilometer border with Russia, abandoned its decades-long policy of military non-alignment and joined NATO in April 2023.
Finland had previously accused Moscow of “hybrid warfare” and orchestrating a wave of migrants to their shared border in 2023. The Kremlin has denied the allegations.
Edited by Zac Crellin
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