2 die in stabbing spree in Finland

Security forces are not treating the incident as a terrorist attack, but that could change, Interior Minister Paula Risikko said.

Police shot the unidentified assailant in the leg before detaining him, she said, adding that the man "appears foreign."

In the wake of the stabbings, security forces urged people to avoid the center of Turku, but Risikko said the area was now secure, even though police continued to search for one or more possible accomplices.

Authorities stepped up security measures at Helsinki-Vantaa international airport and at major railway stations across the Nordic country.

People with any information on the incident were urged to contact police.

Prime Minister Juha Sipilä wrote on Twitter that the government was monitoring events in Turku and that an emergency Cabinet meeting was set for later Friday.

Risikko said that President Sauli Niinisto was already en route to Turku to get a first-hand look at the situation.