Finnish police said on Wednesday the motive for a school shooting on the outskirts of Helsinki on Tuesday, in which one 12-year-old died, was bullying.
"The suspect has said during interrogations that he was the target of bullying, and this information has also been confirmed in the preliminary investigation by the police," police said in a statement.
A 12-year-old suspected of shooting dead a boy at his school and seriously wounding two girls was motivated by bullying, Finnish police say.
The boy was detained some distance from his school in Vantaa on Tuesday morning an hour after he opened fire on other children.
His three victims were also aged 12. The two girls are still in hospital.
Public buildings across Finland lowered their flags from 08:00 (05:00 GMT) on Wednesday to mark a day of mourning.
In a statement, police said the boy had been transferred at the start of this year to Viertola school in Vantaa, to the north of the capital, Helsinki.
They said the suspect told them he had been bullied after he was detained in the Siltamaki area of northern Helsinki, almost 4km (2.5 miles) from the scene of the shooting. Their initial investigation supported that conclusion, they added.
Police have opened an investigation into murder and attempted murder. However, because of his age, the suspect cannot be held criminally responsible and has now been handed to the care of social services.
Police also revealed the suspect had threatened students on their way to school in the Siltamaki area.
According to Finnish TV channel MTV Uutiset, he wore a mask and noise-cancelling headphones while carrying out the shooting at Viertola school.
The school was open on Wednesday, but Katri Kalske, the deputy mayor of Vantaa, said that it would close earlier than usual
