Armed police shot a knife-wielding attacker who went on a rampage 'randomly stabbing people' in Finland.

Two people have died in what people initially believed to be a terror-related incident - although police say it's too early to be certain and said this evening it is NOT currently being investigated as such.

Police earlier said "several people have been knifed" in the centre of Turku this afternoon - including 'a woman and a baby' in a pushchair, according to local media.

Early confused reports suggested there may have been as many as three attackers - but police would only say tonight that they were 'looking into whether more people were involved'.

(Image: Twitter)

(Image: Twitter)

Armed police shot the attacker in the leg before detaining him around three minutes after the alarm was raised.

Video footage earlier emerged of police arresting a man on the ground near a pool of blood - who bystanders tried to fend off with a baseball bat - who is among those being treated in hospital.

Bystanders rushed to help victims - which included at least five women and one man stabbed - and eight people are being treated in hospital, three of which needed surgery.

One person is reported to have died at the scene - while another died in hospital. All the victims were adults.

Police at a press conference this evening declined to say anything about the victims or the perpetrator in custody - whose "identity is being investigated".

Interior Minister Paula Risikko said the threat level had been elevated throughout the country and police were on alert.

Video footage shot from an upper floor of a nearby building earlier appeared to show people fleeing in terror as cries sounding similar to 'Allahu Akbar' could be heard in the background - although it's being reported that this phrase sounds very similar to 'watch out!' in Finnish.

It's since been claimed that they were in fact running TOWARDS the attacker and chasing him - yet to be verified by authorities.

Police at the press conference said they could not confirm if something was shouted in Arabic.

(Image: Twitter)

(Image: AFP) (Image: REUTERS)

The first photographs from the scene showed several people covered in blood - and at least one woman lying dead on the floor.

An eyewitness described how a bloodied woman with a child “fell to the ground”.

One local media report says that witnesses turned the child in the pram away so as not to see its mother covered in blood.

Eyewitness Kent Svensson was sat in the window of a cafe when he heard "a woman scream, really really loudly".

He said: "I saw this huge knife in his hand and he was several times stabbing this person who was then on the ground and people running everywhere and into the cafe where we were sat.

"And he was constantly stabbing people. I don't know what he looked like, I just saw this knife, I just saw this knife... it was just awful."

Another eyewitness, Paimii Riikka Hagman, said: "People ran and yelled and it was a terrible scandal. There were more people in it, it did not make it clear who was chasing and who was running away."

"Then there was more screaming, and so when a woman with an about one-year old child on a pram was stabbed.

"(There) was a lot of blood and he yelled and yelled. Then he fell to the ground.

"It seemed to take ages for the ambulance to arrive. The woman was already not moving at that point."

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In the immediate aftermath police urged people to avoid the centre of town - and there were unconfirmed reports of a bomb scare at a nearby shopping mall - which together with the library and the swimming pool was evacuated - along with police activity at the railway station.

There were also reports that the police have moved "two battalions" into the local airport as a precaution.

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Turku is on the southwest tip of Finland. The local police tweeted at 2.50pm: "Several persons stabbed in central Turku. Police has shot at suspected perpetrator. One person is apprehended."

Five minutes earlier they tweeted: "People are advised to leave the Centre of Turku."

(Image: YLE) (Image: Twitter)

(Image: Twitter)

According to an eyewitness, the incident happened close to the Market Square.

Among the injured is an elderly mother with a young boy nearby - both of whom were spotted covered in blood.

The woman was reportedly resuscitated at the scene - although it's not clear if she is one of the dead.

Four or five ambulances were spotted close nearby on Aura Street.

(Image: Google) (Image: getty)

The attack is believed to have happened close to two different market places - Kauppatori, aka Central Market Square, and Puutori Market Square.

The covered body was spotted close to the junction of University Street and Aurakatu - and the area was quickly flooded by police who at the same time were reportedly checking trains and buses out of Turku.

The town is around 140km (about 85 miles) west of the capital Helsinki.

Turku police have issued these phone numbers for anyone with any information to call: +358 503499187 or +358 50 3268089.

The national police agency in Finland, Central Criminal Police, are now leading the investigation, it's emerged.