At least 17 injured in knife attack and fire on Tokyo subway crowded with Halloween revelers

A knife-wielding antheral rampaged done a Tokyo metro bid connected Sunday, mounting a occurrence and injuring astatine slightest 17 passengers arsenic commuters headed into the metropolis halfway for Halloween festivities, Japan’s NHK nationalist tv reported. Police person made an arrest.

Police said that the assailant wore a “character outfit” that could person resembled a Halloween costume oregon a comic publication quality and that nary motive for the onslaught was instantly discernible, Kyodo News reported.

A antheral successful his 20s was arrested astatine the scene.

At slightest 1 person, a antheral successful his 60s oregon 70s, was stabbed and is successful superior condition, according to Japanese media. It was not wide however galore radical were injured by the knife, the occurrence oregon the resulting chaos arsenic passengers fled the scene. The explicit bid connected the Keio Line made an exigency halt truthful radical could disembark.

Such attacks are comparatively uncommon successful Japan — though Sunday’s incidental was the 2nd weapon battle connected a bid successful caller months.

In aboriginal August, close earlier the Closing Ceremonies of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, a antheral stabbed 10 passengers connected a commuter bid successful the city, Kyodo News reported astatine the time.

Yusuke Tsushima, the 36-year-old charged with attempted execution successful that attack, told constabulary that helium “had been wanting to termination happy-looking women for the past six years. Anyone would person been okay,” according to Kyodo News.

Tsushima said helium was feeling rejected astatine societal gatherings and successful dating services.

'I thought I could termination a ample fig of radical arsenic determination is nary abstraction to fly connected a train,” helium told police, according to Kyodo News.

The 2021 World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report ranked Japan astatine 120 retired of 156 countries connected sex parity.

Social media videos from Sunday’s onslaught showed radical desperately trying to fly the smoke-filled bid car. Some radical were filmed climbing done windows. The onslaught occurred astir 8 p.m. section time.

Witnesses told constabulary that the attacker archetypal stabbed radical and past poured a liquid that looked similar lipid and acceptable it connected fire, burning immoderate seats, the Associated Press reported.

Some witnesses told Japanese media that they initially thought the onslaught was a Halloween-related stunt.