Vornanen was expelled from the Finns Party parliamentary group due to a loss of confidence after he fired a shot into the ground outside a karaoke bar in central Helsinki in the early hours of an April morning. Photo: Antti Aimo-Koivisto / Lehtikuva
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Finns Party MP Timo Vornanen, 56, appeared at the Helsinki District Court this week charged with assault, two counts of illegal threat, causing danger, a firearms offence and a firearms violation. The case stems from a 2024 incident outside the Bar Ihku nightclub in central Helsinki, where he discharged a pistol after an alcohol-fuelled argument.
The state prosecutor, Tapio Mäkinen, is seeking a suspended prison sentence of at least five months. Two other men face lesser charges for assault and threats directed at Vornanen. The trial has drawn wide attention because of Vornanen’s police background and his later political career as a Member of Parliament.
Vornanen admits firing the shot but denies all other charges. He said he acted in self-defence after being threatened by two men whom he believed to be connected to organised crime. “I don’t regret it,” he told reporters outside court. “I acted with soft hands toward people who came at me.”
He said the shot was a warning fired at the pavement to protect himself and his family. “It was used exactly for what the protection weapon was granted for,” Vornanen said, referring to the small CZ 92 pistol he obtained legally in 1998.
Video evidence shown in court depicted a chaotic night that began inside the nightclub. Around midnight, Vornanen approached two young women aged 18 and 19, offering them drinks and joining their table. Both later told police that his presence became uncomfortable as the night went on and that he appeared increasingly intoxicated. One said he was “pushy” with his offers of alcohol and made inappropriate remarks about relationships.
Later, another group of men entered the bar, colleagues from a nearby workplace. A 41‑year‑old man approached Vornanen and, according to footage, put his arm around his neck. Vornanen responded by grabbing the man by the throat and pinning him to a sofa until security intervened.
The man told police he only intended to hug him. Vornanen said he was attacked without warning. Both now stand accused of minor assault against each other.
Witnesses described Vornanen and one of the men arguing again at the bar counter. The 31‑year‑old man, later charged with illegal threat, said Vornanen began boasting about ties to several motorcycle gangs, including United Brotherhood, Hells Angels and Cannonballs, claiming he was “in every club” and a Member of Parliament. “He said I didn’t know who I was talking to,” the man told investigators.
Vornanen denied the claim. He said the man introduced himself as a gangster, threatened to kill him and his family, and mentioned belonging to United Brotherhood. He said he gave the man his parliamentary business card to prove he was not a criminal.
Both accounts agree that tensions escalated after the bar closed. Outside, arguments continued between the groups. Witnesses saw another MP, Sanna Antikainen, and Ilomantsi Finns Party chair Mika Purmonen, wearing a Stetson hat, trying to defuse the situation. The 31‑year‑old man admitted saying that “guys like that should be beaten up.”
At that point, Vornanen drew his pistol and fired once into the pavement. A security camera captured a flash and smoke. No one was injured. The men ran off, and police arrived shortly after.
During a 112 emergency call played in court, Vornanen was heard slurring his words and avoiding questions. The dispatcher grew frustrated as he failed to describe what was happening. When detained, he broke down in a police car and told officers he had feared for his life.
Police body‑camera footage showed him saying, “I’m strongly drunk,” when asked about his condition.
The prosecution argued that the shooting could not be considered self-defence. “He could have left the scene,” said Mäkinen. “It is incomprehensible that a Member of Parliament was walking around Helsinki nightlife with a loaded gun.”
The defence insists the threat was real and that Vornanen’s response was proportionate. His lawyer, Heikki Miettinen, presented an expert statement on the weapon’s limited power, noting that its short barrel made serious injury unlikely unless fired directly at close range.
In court, the two male complainants described the night as “frightening and surreal”. The 41‑year‑old man said he initially feared Vornanen was a gang leader. “Afterwards, when I learned he was an MP, the whole thing became even more disturbing,” he said. He added that he has since suffered nightmares about the incident.
The events have already damaged Vornanen’s political career. He was expelled from the Finns Party parliamentary group shortly after the shooting and now sits as an independent. His firearm licence remains under review.
The court also heard that part of the bar’s security footage is missing. Vornanen claims the lost recording contained evidence supporting his version. Prosecutors said the missing material has no impact on the case.
Vornanen has frequently commented on social media throughout the investigation, criticising what he calls “political persecution.” He maintains that he used the weapon responsibly.
As the first day of hearings ended, he told journalists he still saw no reason for remorse. “Maybe it was extinguished the wrong way,” he said of the incident.
The court is expected to deliver its verdict later this year.
HT
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
