Stabber in Turku a Moroccan citizen, suspected of terrorism

People bring memorial candles and flowers to the Turku Market Square for the victims of Friday's stabbings in Turku, Finland, Aug 19, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

TURKU, Finland - Finnish police said Saturday the suspect who mounted the multiple stabbings in Turku, southwestern Finland, on Friday was a Moroccan citizen.

Police said they are investigating two murders and eight attempted murders involved in the case and suspecting there is intent of terrorism.

The suspect, an 18-year-old man, is in intensive care at the Turku University Hospital, said the police.

Two people were killed and eight others wounded when he stabbed people at two squares in Turku on Friday afternoon.

The police said those killed were two Finnish nationals, with one Italian and two Swedes among the injured.

At a press conference on Friday evening, the police said they could not identify the nationality of the attacker and would not call the incident a terrorist attack.

Witnesses told local media that they heard the attacker shouting "Allah" while committing the violence, but police could not confirm the claim.