Petri Erkki Tapio GERDT

Classification: Mass murderer
Characteristics: Chemical engineering student - The motive is unknown
Number of victims: 6
Date of murder: October 11, 2002
Date of birth: April 17, 1983
Victims profile: Men, women and a child
Method of murder: Home-made bomb (ammonium nitrate and nitromethane with shotgun pellets)
Location: Vantaa, Finland
Status: Died in the explosion

Petri Erkki Tapio Gerdt, (1983 - 2002) was a Finnish 19-year-old chemistry student (from Evtek, Espoo-Vantaa Institute of Technology) and a hobbyist bomb-maker who detonated an explosive device constructed in his own apartment inside the Myyrmanni mall in Vantaa, about 15 kilometers north of Helsinki.

Besides his own demise, the detonation left six dead, including women and a child, as well as several others (80, or so) seriously injured.

It is unclear on whether the incident was an accident or an act of suicide or homicide bombing. It is possible Gerdt didn't intend to kill himself. According to Gerdt's parents, he had been frequently detonating homemade bombs in the woods nearby, and had merely been passing through the mall on his way there when the bomb was set off accidentally.

According to the police, it is also possible Gerdt's intention was to leave the bomb in the mall and remotely detonate it after he left. This conclusion arises from the fact that the bomb used shotgun pellets in its construction, indicating it was meant to kill.

The possibility of Gerdt having links to any radical groups or terrorist organizations has been ruled out; he was merely interested in bombs as a hobby. He was a member and a frequent user of a chemistry-related web forum Kotikemia ("home chemistry"), appearing under the username RC.

Gerdt, despite the Germanic-sounding surname, was Finnish-born.

The Myyrmanni bombing took place on October 11, 2002 in the town of Vantaa, Finland, just north of Helsinki, in the local Myyrmanni shopping mall. The bomb killed seven, including a 7-year-old child and the bomber, Petri Gerdt, a 19-year-old chemical engineering student from Evtek (Espoo-Vantaa Institute of Technology).

80 people were injured, including 10 children. The shopping center was particularly crowded, with almost 2000 people, including many children who had come to see a clown performance.

The bomb weighed about 2-3 kilograms, consisting of ammonium nitrate and nitromethane with shotgun pellets added to increase lethality. However, the primary structures of the mall remained intact.

The motive for the bombing is unknown: it is suspected that the bomb exploded prematurely and by accident. Apparently Gerdt used to explode his home-made bombs in nearby forests, and it is possible that he was just transporting the bomb to be set off somewhere else. However, the use of pellets hints that the bomb may have been built for killing people.

Petri Gerdt's father has written a book Petrin matka Myyrmanniin, "Petri's Path to Myyrmanni", about this incident.

It was claimed on local news that Gerdt blew himself up because of girlfriend problems.

The Myyrmanni bombing took place on October 11, 2002 in the Myyrmäki, Vantaa, Finland, in Greater Helsinki, in the local Myyrmanni shopping mall. The bomb killed seven, including two teenagers, a 7-year-old child and the bomber. 166 people were injured, including 10 children. Sixty-six victims required hospitalization with the remainder treated and released at the scene.

The shopping center was especially crowded, with almost 2000 people, including many children who had come to see a clown performance.

The bomber was Petri Erkki Tapio Gerdt (April 17, 1983 - October 11, 2002), a 19-year-old chemical engineering student from EVTEK (Espoo-Vantaa Institute of Technology) and a hobbyist bomb-maker. He was a frequent user of a chemistry-related web forum Kotikemia ("home chemistry") under the username rc. The explosive device was constructed in his apartment, weighed about 2-3 kilograms and consisted of ammonium nitrate and nitromethane with shotgun pellets.

The motive of his deed is unclear: it is suspected that the bomb exploded prematurely and by accident. According to the police, the use of pellets to increase lethality hints that Gerdt's intention might have been to leave the bomb in the mall and remotely detonate it after leaving. Petri's father, Armas Gerdt, noted that Gerdt used to detonate his home-made explosives in the woods nearby and suspects that he was transporting the bomb to be set off elsewhere.

The possibility of Gerdt having links to any radical groups or terrorist organizations has been ruled out.

Armas Gerdt has also written the book Petrin matka Myyrmanniin, "Petri's Path to Myyrmanni", about the incident. The moderator of Kotikemia was acquitted of responsibility in court. The bombing was especially shocking for Finland and the other Nordic countries, where bombings are extremely rare.

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