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1930 kidnapping of former Finnish President Ståhlberg and his wife by far-right radicals From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
On October 14, 1930, at approximately 9:00 am EET, former and first President of Finland, Kaarlo Juho Ståhlberg, and his wife, Ester Ståhlberg, were abducted near their home in Helsinki, Finland, by members of the far-right Lapua Movement.[1][2]
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The plan was spearheaded by ex-White Guard general Kurt Martti Wallenius. The kidnappers threatened to execute both hostages if their demands were not met, but were ultimately hesitant to carry out the threat.[2] The pair were taken by car to Joensuu in Eastern Finland, where they were abruptly set free after the kidnappers failed to meet up with other accomplices.[3]
In December 1930, Wallenius and Eero Kuussaari were found guilty of the kidnapping and sentenced to 3 years of penal servitude and dismissal from the army.[4]
The incident greatly eroded the already dwindling popular support for the Lapua Movement.[2] The kidnapping was also considered decisive in the victory of Pehr Evind Svinhufvud against Ståhlberg in the 1931 presidential election.[1] After the kidnapping, the Lapuans again threatened to assassinate Ståhlberg.[5]
The abduction was widely covered in foreign newspapers.
In Sweden, the news caused a diplomatic incident when Dagens Nyheter wrote that "such news should come from Mexico or one of the 'Nigger republics' and not from a Western European state", to which the Mexican ambassador in Stockholm protested vehemently. [6]
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