HELSINKI, Finland — Police in Finland are investigating suspected intrusions at the homes of several members of parliament in the Helsinki area, as Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said a foreign state could be responsible.
The cases emerged over the past year and involved signs that homes had been entered without property apparently being taken, according to The Guardian.
Police said they had received information about the incidents from parliament and had opened a preliminary inquiry.
On Thursday, October 1, 2026, Orpo was asked whether a foreign power might have been behind the suspected entries.
“It is very possible. Quite possible in this day and age,” he said.
Orpo said authorities would treat the incidents seriously and that both police and the government would examine what had happened.
He also raised concerns about possible attempts to interfere with Finland’s parliamentary elections, which are six months away.
He said Russia had sought to influence elections elsewhere in Europe, but neither police nor Finnish officials have identified who was responsible for the suspected intrusions.
Police Examine Multiple Incidents
Helsinki police said several reports involving MPs’ homes were under investigation.
The incidents were unusual because nothing was reported stolen, while indications of entry had apparently been left behind.
Finnish broadcaster Yle reported that some cases involved doors being left open or lights being switched on.
Police said they were working with Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation and stressed that the inquiry remained at an early stage.
Jussi Halla-aho, the speaker of parliament, said he did not have an exact number of cases but described the total as “significant”.
Halla-aho said activity resembling the suspected incidents could be associated with state actors, while cautioning that officials did not yet have information establishing responsibility.
He also said the signs had emerged gradually and raised the possibility that some evidence of entry may have been deliberately left visible.
Finnish Leaders Voice Concern
President Alexander Stubb said suspected targeting of parliamentarians amounted to a challenge to democratic institutions and expressed support for the MPs affected.
Orpo said any effort intended to weaken Finland’s security, domestic cohesion, or support for Ukraine would instead strengthen national unity.
Finland shares a long border with Russia.
The frontier has remained closed for years as relations between the two countries deteriorated following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and Finland’s subsequent entry into NATO.
Authorities have not publicly identified a suspect, established whether the incidents are connected, or concluded that a foreign government was involved.
The Helsinki police said its investigation with the National Bureau of Investigation was continuing and that it had no further information to release while the inquiry remained in its preliminary stages.
