DHAKA: A sniper has shot dead a local council official and two journalists outside a restaurant in Imatra, a small Finnish town near the Russian border.

Police confirmed a 23-year-old local man has been detained following what is thought to be a random attack, reports the UK-based the Independent.

The victims, who were all women, were gunned down late on Saturday at around midnight, police spokesperson Heli Jamsen-Turkki said.

Two of those killed were in their early 50s and one was in her 30s, she said.

She added that the gunman did not resist arrest and the motive for the attack is not yet known.

Among the victims, who were shot in the head and torso, was city council head Tiina Wilén-Jäppinen.

It was initially reported that the council official was the local mayor, a detail that has since been corrected.

Imatra has around 28,000 residents and lies around 230 kilometers (140 miles) east of Finnish capital Helsinki.

Authorities have opened a crisis centre to deal with the aftermath of the attack, which occurred in the middle of a busy nightclub neighborhood.

BDST: 2022 HRS, DEC 04, 2016
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