September 25, 2008	Thursday	Ramazan 24, 1429

HELSINKI, Sept 24: A policeman in Finland who questioned but released Matti Saari a day before he opened fire in a school killing 10 people and himself, has been placed on sick leave, police said on Wednesday.

“The inspector is now on sick leave,” the national police commissioner told reporters.

Matti Saari, a 22-year-old trainee chef, went on a shooting rampage at a vocational school in Kauhajoki, a town 360kms from the capital Helsinki, on Tuesday, mowing down eight female students, a male student and a male teacher before turning a weapon fatally on himself.

The policeman, whose name has not been disclosed, had himself asked to be placed on sick leave, the commissioner said.

The inspector had questioned the gunman after Saari posted video clips on the video sharing website YouTube that showed him firing his weapon at a shooting range.

The police had decided however not to revoke Saari’s temporary license for a .22 calibre handgun, obtained last month.—AFP