A young Finnish man with a background in neo-Nazi activities has played a prominent online role in the organisation of anti-immigrant riots in towns and cities across the UK over the past two weeks, an Yle investigation has found.
The riots began after a knife attack at a children's dance class on Monday 29 July, in which three young girls died and 11 other people were injured.
The suspect in the case is a teenager born in Britain to a Christian family originally from Rwanda, according to reports in the British press.
However, in the immediate aftermath of the stabbing tragedy, claims quickly spread on social media platforms that the suspect was a Muslim man who had recently entered the UK illegally.
Spurred by these false claims, protests that quickly turn into riots have been organised in towns and cities across England as well as in Belfast in Northern Ireland. The riots are usually arranged via social media, especially the instant messaging service Telegram, with one of the most prominent such groups co-administered by the Finnish man at the centre of Yle's investigation.
Yle discovered the man's identity and tracked him down to an apartment building in the south of the country. He is in his twenties and has run a neo-Nazi channel on Telegram.
Yle is not publishing the man's name because he has not been convicted of a serious crime nor, based on the information available at the time of publication, is he currently suspected of any.
Finnish neo-Nazi shared arson tips
The estimated 14,000 members of the 'Southport Wake Up' group on Telegram planned tactics and outlined 'targets' — such as immigration-related charities, advice centres and solicitors — before the channel was closed down.
The Finnish neo-Nazi was a co-administrator of the group as well as a regular contributor. One of his posts shared instructions on how to commit arson, which originated from a Russian-Ukrainian neo-Nazi group, according to the British anti-fascist research group Red Flare.
"Something fun for you to read," the Finnish man wrote when he shared the arson instruction file.
He also gave the group members advice on protecting their identities as well as participating in discussions about the selection of so-called targets.
"I don't like the fact that there is no clear picture of the situation and leadership here," he wrote in one of his messages.
Although the Finnish man was just one of several administrators within the group, he was very active and even boasted at one point that he had used his administrative role to "clean out the Jews" from the group.
Prior neo-Nazi, antisemitic views
Yle's investigation also revealed that the Finnish man has for years run a Telegram channel used to spread Nazi ideology.
On this channel, he claimed that he does not encourage people to commit violence or terrorism, but at the same time, he urges the destruction of "the accursed Jews".
He also calls himself a National Socialist and he has previously published posts praising Adolf Hitler. In one video, he speaks as he is walking around Helsinki synagogue.
"We are tired of explaining to you why we want national socialism," he can be heard saying in the video.
Below is a short sample of a voice message he posted on Telegram in defence of National Socialism. The speaker's voice has been changed.
His Telegram channel has more than 300 followers from a range of different countries. He is also active on platforms such as Gab and Odysee, as well as having at least five accounts on X, formerly Twitter.
In addition to Nazi-related material, he has also published Hamas propaganda videos.
However, the response to the stabbings in Southport and the riots across the UK appear to have given him access to a much wider audience.
Police probe in 2021
Based on Yle's current information, the man has never been convicted of any serious crime.
However, he wrote on Telegram in early 2021 that he was the subject of a police investigation which, he said, involved a suspicion he was planning an attack that could endanger the life or health of another person or persons. He added that police raided his home and confiscated some hard drives.
According to Yle's information, the investigation did not lead to a prosecution. It has however been logged in a police report and with a district court under the lesser charge of making an illegal threat.
"How did you find this place?"
When Yle discovered the man's identity and address, reporter Tuomas Rimpiläinen knocked on his door to ask for an interview. There was no answer at first, but after a lengthy delay, a young man opened the door.
He did not directly confirm that he was the person behind the social media account that administered the 'Southport Wake Up' group, but acknowledged he was an active member.
"Yeah probably," he said, also asking Yle's reporter "how did you find this place?"
He further told Yle that he suspected his posts within the Telegram groups would arouse the interest of authorities, especially in relation to the riots in the UK.
"I thought there might be something to talk to the police about. I'm ready for it," he said.
The conversation at the door lasted about 10 minutes. The man was polite but looked around continuously, wanting to know if any police officers were nearby.
He also declined to answer any questions about what he hopes to achieve with his posts on the Telegram channels.
"Nothing comes to mind," he said.
When asked if he was willing to accept some responsibility for the part his online posts might play in the damage and destruction caused by the riots in the UK, he replied "I wouldn't say so".
He also refused an invitation to step away from his door and conduct a proper interview to justify his actions.
"Not now. Some bad clothes on, hair like shit," he said.
At that point, he thanked Yle's reporter for the call, shook his hand, and shut the door.
Shortly afterwards, he was back posting on his Telegram channels, including what he called a "fun test" for his followers: "how anti-Semitic are you?" He added that he got a score of 92/100.
Yle also saw a post he made encouraging his followers to overwhelm UK police departments by filing baseless crime reports.
Suspects in English courts on incitement to riot charges
The days and weeks since the Southport stabbing have been marked by scenes of civil disorder across the UK, fuelled by online misinformation and disinformation.
There were also suspicions that Russia was involved in spreading rumours and lies about the Southport stabbing suspect, but this BBC investigation found no evidence to support that theory.
However, many of the social media groups believed to be behind the riots also contain known far-right activists from outside the UK as active members. The Finnish man is one example.
Police in the UK have also started to charge people with using social media to incite the riots. The Daily Mail reported earlier this week that a 28-year-old English man was the first to be convicted of using social media, in his case via posts on Facebook, to stir up racial hatred during the riots.