Bio

Petri Erkki-Tapio Gerdt was born on April 17, 1983. He was the first child in his family. When he was one year old, the family moved to Tikkurila and lived in a detached house.

He had a little sister who was his closest companion as a child. His father, Armas Gerdt, said Petri was a delicate child who cried over small falls and often got his way. His father also described him as somewhat childish.

At school Petri was often left out of groups and teased. He said little about the bullying when asked. The teasing was worst in the later years of primary school. It was mostly social and verbal, not physical. Petri was tall and sometimes walked differently than others, which some classmates noticed.

Petri did well in school work despite the bullying. He liked nature and took part in the national Metsävisa nature quiz. He received an honorary mention for his scores there. His matriculation exam results were worse than he had hoped.

He played basketball and was once given a "most valuable player" award. He did not have many close friends. Friends sometimes visited to play video games when he was younger, but those visits stopped when he was about ten. His father said that when Petri was not at school or at basketball practice, he stayed at home.

In the summers Petri worked at a supermarket called Hong Kong. He wanted to work on weekends and sometimes worked many weeks without taking days off. His supervisors said he did well with customers.

Petri was admitted to study at the Espoo-Vantaa Institute of Technology (EVTEK). He had wanted to go to university, but he began studies at EVTEK instead. He studied chemical engineering there.

He spent a lot of time at home using the family computer. Many of his social contacts were online. He was active on an online chemistry forum. He was described by others as quiet, withdrawn, and polite. He had no criminal record and was never diagnosed with any mental illness.

Murder Story

On October 11, 2002, a bomb exploded at the Myyrmanni shopping centre in Myyrmäki, Vantaa, Finland. The device was hidden in a backpack and went off in the central square at 19:36. The blast broke the waste container it sat on and made a crater in the floor. The glass dome above the square was blown outward. Five people were killed instantly, including the bomber. In total seven people died, among them two teenagers and a seven-year-old child. One hundred fifty-nine people were injured. Sixty-six needed hospital care and others were treated and released at the scene.

The explosion happened on a Friday evening during a busy shopping surge. There were between one thousand and two thousand people in the centre. Many children were present to see a clown performance nearby.

The bomber was identified as Petri Erkki-Tapio Gerdt, a 19-year-old student. He was seen at the shopping centre on security camera footage before the blast. Witnesses reported seeing him in a public toilet on the second floor shortly before the explosion. The bomb went off while he was at the site, and he died in the blast. His body was later found a distance from the place of the explosion.

The first emergency call was made at 19:36:49. Rescue units arrived within minutes. At first, the explosion was thought to be an accidental gas burst. Police found a driving licence at the scene that helped identify the bomber. The National Bureau of Investigation took over the case soon after.

Investigators treated the event as multiple counts of murder and an explosives offence. The case was closed in January 2003 with no further indictments because Gerdt was the sole suspect and he had died. The investigation did not find a clear motive for the bombing. Authorities found no evidence linking Gerdt to outside groups or international organizations.

After the attack, the online forum where Gerdt had been active was closed by the authorities. One administrator of the forum was later acquitted in court. Four youths who had discussed explosives on similar forums were questioned and some faced later penalties for unrelated explosive offences.

Finland observed a national day of mourning on October 15, 2002. Flags were flown at half-staff and moments of silence were held. The shopping centre closed for repairs for nearly three weeks before reopening. The bombing was a shocking event for Finland and the other Nordic countries, where such attacks are very rare.