A British man travelled to Finland to try to run over and kill a 23-year-old woman after she ended their online-only friendship, investigators believe.
Police in the Finnish city of Joensuu believe that the man went to Finland with the intention of tracking the woman down and killing her.
The man and woman had been friends online for several years but never met in person and at the end of last year she ended all contact with the Brit.
After several days in the city, the 31-year-old was able to work out where the woman lived before he tried to run her over.
Iltalehti, a Finnish newspaper, reported that once the police had arrested the man they reportedly discovered an axe and other tools inside his car.
Detective Inspector Petri Tirronen said: ‘We suspect that the motive for the act was at least partly related to the end of contact.’
Police said the man’s arrival in Finland came as a complete shock to the woman. Their relationship was based exclusively online and they had never arranged to meet.
Investigators have been able to piece together the suspect’s journey to the city before his alleged murder attempt.
Police believe the British man went to the Finnish city of Joensuu(pictured) with the intention of tracking the woman down and killing her
Finnish police officers (file image). The police said the Brit had no prior criminal record and that they did not find a firearm on his person
After working out where the woman lived, the man tried to run the woman over around the Hukanhauda cemetery on the evening of January 13.
The man was promptly arrested after bystanders intervened and held him down.
Police said they had received a report that a man had been chasing a woman with a knife in the city, and that he had also tried to hit her in a car.
She was unscathed and came away without injury, authorities said.
Another car was damaged when the suspect allegedly crashed.
Police believe the man deliberately travelled from Britain with the intention of murdering her, staying in a rented apartment and a hotel for several days before the attack.
They said that he had no prior criminal record and that they did not find a firearm on his person, however.
He is not known to have any relationship to Finland, other than through his former online friend.
Tirronen told local media that the suspect was cooperating with their investigations.
