Police issue Doctor attack suspect photo, appeal to public for information

The Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) have released an image of a man who allegedly attacked a senior doctor in Tallinn last week, declaring him a wanted person. The individual, who under Estonian law cannot be fully named, is reportedly a prominent figure in the criminal underworld.
A PPA press spokesperson said the man they are seeking is a 54-year-old with the first name Toomas, pictured above, with a fuller image below. The PPA has already detained an as yet unnamed 61-year-old man in connection with last Wednesday evening's attack, which saw liquid reported to be urine thrown at Peep Talving, head doctor at the North Estonian Medical Center (PERH), as he waited in his car outside the hospital at around 7 p.m.
One of the tires on Talving's car was also slashed in the incident. The PPA had already released security footage of a suspect leaving the scene on foot.
Head of the PPA's Northern Prefecture Criminal Bureau Urmet Tambre said:"We detained a 61-year-old man involved in the attack this morning, who testified what happened, confirming the investigators' version of events that the attack was not opportunistic, i.e. the culprit was lying in wait for the victim and was primed to attack."
The PPA says evidence gathered clearly shows the involvement of the two men in planning and executing the attack, and that they believe it there is a strong possibility that Talving was targeted due to his membership of the government's coronavirus scientific council.

Talving, who was not injured in the attack, said he saw his assailant only briefly.
The 54-year-old man pictured is still at large, and was already know to the PPA as having connections to organized crime.
Tambre said Monday that dozens of PPA personnel have been working on the case and have at least one good lead, helped by members of the public who had seen the security footage.
Lawyer Andrei Vesterinen was detained on the afternoon of Thursday, February 4, but released the next day, Friday, without charge. Vesterinen, who has been involved in organizing anti-mask protests and had recently engaged in a lengthy phone conversation with Professor Irja Lutsar, the scientific council's head, said he had a solid alibi in relation to the incident.
Lutsar herself had reportedly been subject to a range of attacks on social media, including via private messaging, prompting the government to look at further measures to protect her safety and that of other scientific council members.
The PPA asks any members of the public with information on Toomas, pictured, his possible location or about anything related to the incident to report it via phone (+372 56904272) or by e-mail.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte