There have been a series of stabbing attacks on foreign-background victims in Oulu over the course of the last year, with police now investigating the possibility that the incidents are connected.Some of the attacks have taken place in the Raksila district of Oulu, near the city's baseball stadium. Image: Rami Moilanen / YleYle News8:32Police in Oulu have requested the public's help in identifying the suspect in a stabbing attack on a person of foreign background in the city on Friday.In a press release containing links to photos of the suspect, police revealed that the attacker was on a bicycle when he stabbed the victim, who was on foot, from behind.This is the ninth such incident in the city in recent months, in which a suspect on a bike has stabbed or attacked a victim, leading police to believe they are dealing with a serial offender."It's not ruled out, but it cannot be confirmed," Detective Chief Inspector Jarno Väliaho told Yle. "There have been similar acts and there are indications that the acts may be connected to each other, but until the perpetrator is identified in all cases, it cannot be confirmed that this is the case."Below is a map of where the attacks have occurred, followed by descriptions of some of the incidents.26 May 2025The first reported incident in Oulu of a stabbing attack by a perpetrator on a bicycle occurred on 26 May last year in the Kaukovainion area of the city. A foreign-background man was stabbed from behind in this attack, and the assailant fled the scene on his bicycle.Police have also not yet recovered the weapon used in the attack.14 April 2026In April this year, a man with a foreign background was stabbed from behind by a suspect on a "traditional narrow-tired men's bicycle" in a park in the Raksila district of Oulu.The perpetrator was described as a youngish man, wearing a beige jacket.Police later apprehended a suspect, but the case was dismissed by the district court due to insufficient evidence, and the man was released.11 May 2026In May, police received a report that a youngish man travelling by bicycle hit or pushed a foreign-background woman from behind in Välkkylä, near to the location of the stabbing in April.The victim in this incident told police that the perpetrator dropped a knife at the scene, although police did not find any weapons in the vicinity.The victim did not sustain any injuries in this incident.5 June 2026At the beginning of June, a perpetrator on a bicycle stabbed a woman of foreign background from behind in the Knuutilankanka district.Police said at the time that the suspect had briefly spoken in English and had used a derogatory term referring to foreigners.27 June 2026The attack last Friday took place in Kaukovainion, in the same area of the city as the incident in May 2025.Police are investigating the attack as attempted manslaughter.The attack on Friday happened near this passageway in Kaukovainion. Image: Tatu Kuukkanen / YleIf members of the public have any information in relation to any of the incidents, they can contact the Oulu Police Department by email at: vihjeet.oulu@poliisi.fi, by phone at: 0295 416 194, and via WhatsApp at: 050 305 0132.There was also a series of high-profile stabbing attacks on foreign nationals in Oulu in the summer of 2024, including by a known neo-Nazi on two children and by a teenager on a Bangladeshi national. Both attacks occurred a few days apart in the same shopping centre in the city.