Tokyo
Japanese police said on Sunday they arrested a man who stabbed 10 passengers on a commuter train in Tokyo hours earlier, in what Japanese media reported to be a random burst of violence unrelated to the ongoing Olympic Games.
The 36-year-old man told police he wanted to kill women who appeared happy, and chose his targets at random, public broadcaster NHK said.
The initial victim, a woman in her 20s, was in serious condition, according to NHK and other Japanese media. Police identified the attacker as Yusuke Tsushima.
The Tokyo Fire Department said nine of the 10 injured passengers were taken to nearby hospitals, while the 10th was able to walk away. All of the injured were conscious, fire department officials said.
The Japanese capital is currently hosting the Olympics, which end on Sunday. The site of the stabbing spree was about 15 kilometers (9 miles) away from the main National Stadium.
The man dropped his knife after the handle broke and fled, and later walked into a convenience store and identified himself as the suspect on the news, and said he was tired of running away, according to Japanese media. The store manager called police after seeing bloodstains on the man’s shirt.
TBS television said Tsushima told police he developed the intent to kill women who looked happy, and stabbed a woman who happened to be seated near him in the carriage.
He also told police that he chose to stage the attack inside a train because it offered the chance to kill a large number of people.
The suspect, who boarded the train with the knife, scissors, cooking oil and a lighter, moved to other carriages after stabbing the first woman.
In one car, he poured cooking oil on the floor and tried to set it on fire, Kyodo News agency reported, quoting police.
He intentionally chose an express train that makes fewer stops, having passengers stay on board longer, the report said.—AP
