Police in central Finland have released one of the two men detained in connection with the attempted murder of Finns Party official Pekka Kataja last summer, Yle has learned. Kataja was attacked at his home in July 2020.
The man released is Teemu Torssonen, a Jyväskylä city councillor who was expelled from the Finns Party in 2019. He was also removed from the city board in October, but remains on the larger council.
State prosecutor Mika Appelsin confirmed the release to Yle. He said that the preliminary investigation was complete and that there was no longer any reason to keep Torssonen in custody. He declined to say whether Torssonen might still face charges, though.
"No decisions have been made in that regard. But the preliminary investigation material has been examined with such precision that there is no longer any reason for detention," Appelsin said.
The other suspect remains behind bars, as he has been since October.
Decision on charges due by Tuesday
The prosecutor must decide by next Tuesday whether to file charges.
"The decision will probably go down to the wire," Appelsin predicted.
Torssonen had been held since September. He is also suspected of aggravated firearms offences.
Defence lawyers told Yle in November that Torssonen has a watertight alibi proving that he was not present when Kataja was assaulted. Police later reached the same conclusion, but have still suspected Torssonen of involvement in the attempted murder.
Appelsin declined to say where Torssonen was at the time of the attack.
The other suspect is an associate and political supporter of Torssonen's. He was the chair of Torssonen's support association during his unsuccessful parliamentary bid as a Finns Party candidate in 2019.
Torssonen was removed from the Jyväskylä city board in October, but remains on the larger city council, representing his own one-man delegation.
