Petri Gerdt

Identification

Petri Erkki Tapio Gerdt (born April 17, 1983; died October 11, 2002) died in the explosion in the Myyrmanni shopping mall in Vantaa, Finland.

Background

Petri Gerdt was a Finnish 19-year-old chemical engineering student from Evtek (Espoo-Vantaa Institute of Technology). He was described as a hobbyist bomb-maker. His surname was described as Germanic-sounding, but he was Finnish-born. Gerdt was a frequent user of a chemistry-related web forum Kotikemia (“home chemistry”), appearing under the username RC.

Gerdt’s father, Armas Gerdt, wrote a book titled Petrin matka Myyrmanniin (“Petri’s Path to Myyrmanni”) about the incident. Armas Gerdt noted that Gerdt used to detonate home-made explosives in woods nearby and suspected that he was transporting the bomb to be set off elsewhere. Armas Gerdt also said that Gerdt 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. The possibility that Gerdt had links to any radical groups or terrorist organizations was ruled out; he was described as being interested in bombs as a hobby.

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

The offence

An explosive device was detonated in Petri Gerdt’s own apartment and then detonated in the Myyrmanni shopping mall in Vantaa. The device weighed about 2–3 kilograms. It consisted of ammonium nitrate and nitromethane with shotgun pellets added to increase lethality. The primary structures of the mall remained intact.

Investigation and motive

The motive was listed as unknown or unclear. It was suspected that the bomb exploded prematurely and by accident. The police also suggested that the use of shotgun pellets might indicate an intention to leave the bomb in the mall and remotely detonate it after leaving. Another account held that the bomb was set off accidentally while Gerdt was passing through the mall on his way to detonate homemade bombs in nearby woods. The possibility of Gerdt having links to any radical groups or terrorist organizations was ruled out.

Timeline

• October 11, 2002 — The bomb detonated in the Myyrmanni shopping mall in Vantaa, Finland; Petri Erkki Tapio Gerdt died in the explosion.

Deaths and injuries

The detonation left six dead besides Gerdt, including women and a child, and left several others (80 or so) seriously injured. Other figures also stated that the bomb killed seven in total, including Gerdt and a 7-year-old child, and that 80 people were injured. Another set of figures stated that the bomb killed seven, including two teenagers, the 7-year-old child, and the bomber, and that 166 people were injured, including 10 children. It was stated that 66 victims required hospitalization, with the remainder treated and released at the scene. The shopping center was described as particularly crowded, with almost 2000 people, including many children who had come to see a clown performance.

Other details

The moderator of Kotikemia was acquitted of responsibility in court.