A Japanese man dressed in a Joker costume was arrested for injuring 17 people during a knife and fire attack at a Tokyo train station on Halloween.
About the attack: The incident occurred near Kokuryo station in Tokyo’s western suburbs at around 8 p.m. on Sunday, according to BBC. The suspect, identified as Kyota Hattori, 24, was seen wearing a purple suit and green shirt similar to that of Batman villain the Joker.
- The attack happened around the time when partygoers were heading to the city center to celebrate Halloween. The train they were on was en route to Shinjuku, one of the busiest train stations in the world.
- Speaking to investigators, the suspect said he “wanted to kill people and be given the death penalty,” according to Kyodo News. Authorities also said the suspect referenced the August Odakyu Electric Railway attack in Tokyo, where a man “stabbed and slashed 10 passengers amid heightened security for the Tokyo Olympics.”
- The suspect allegedly stabbed a seated male passenger in his 70s in the chest and later doused one of the train’s seats with lighter fluid before igniting it, the Associated Press reported.
- About 16 other passengers sustained minor injuries, such as smoke inhalation. However, the Associated Press claims that according to the Tokyo Fire Department, other passengers sustained serious injuries.
Other details: Videos taken inside the train during the attack showed passengers running away from Hattori. One male passenger said he thought it was a Halloween prank when he saw the suspect’s knife covered in blood.
- “I heard a loud bang and saw flames and smoke in the back. Everyone was panicking,” another male passenger said.
- “He held a knife and started spreading liquid,” a female passenger said, according to The Guardian. “He was committing this act without showing any emotion, just mechanically. I think that brought fear to everyone.”
- The train station partially suspended its operations following the attack. Dozens of firefighters and police officers responded to the situation, and Hattori was arrested at the scene for attempted murder, authorities said.
Featured Image via @Master_Bird_ (left), Reuters (right)
