Finland: Man puts 12kg of dynamite in friend's cars 'as a joke'

A Finnish man is facing up to two years in prison after reportedly loading a friend's vehicles with dynamite, before claiming he had done it as "a joke".

The man stored the 12kg of dynamite in two vehicles before calling the man and telling him.

"According to his own words, he had done it as a joke," Tony Rauma, detective chief inspector with the Ostrobothnia Police told Finland's broadcaster, YLE.

However, the owner of the two cars did not see the funny side.

He informed police, who had to evacuate nearby buildings because of the large quantity of explosives.

The man, from the Pedersore area of Ostrobothnia, western Finland, was later arrested.

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"In addition to the dynamite, detonators were also confiscated from the cars," said Mr Rauma.

The man admitted to placing the explosives in the cars on 3 August.

However, he told police he did not intend to blow them up, YLE reported.

Police have ruled out any possible links to terrorism.

According to the broadcaster, he has been released on bail.