School Shootings in Finland, Nine Dead

(Helsinki, Finland) An 18-year-old student at Jokela Secondary School in Tuusuka went on a shooting rampage at the school, killing at least nine people counting himself.

In total, five boys, two girls and principal, Helena Kalmi, were killed with a .22-caliber pistol. Ten other children were reported injured as they tried to escape the school. The student shot himself in the head and later died from the wound at Toeoeloe Hospital.

Notably, prior to the attack, the student posted a video on YouTube.

The video posted on the video-sharing website You Tube, warning of the attack, zooms in on the school and has a heavy metal soundtrack blaring in the background. It shows a young man against a red background pointing a gun at the camera.

The video was posted by a user called Sturmgeist89.

"I am prepared to fight and die for my cause," read a posting by a user of the same name.

"I, as a natural selector, will eliminate all who I see unfit, disgraces of human race and failures of natural selection."

"Sturmgeist" means storm spirit in German. Hours after the shooting, the user's account was suspended.

One eyewitness said the gunman casually walked through the school corridor firing into classroom after classroom.

Thursday has been declared a day of national mourning by Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen. Flags are to be flown at half-staff.

Tuusula is a city of 35,000 about 35 miles north of Helsinki.