Ten injured in Tokyo train knife attack

A woman is understood to be seriously injured following the attack

(via REUTERS)

A man has attacked and injured 10 people in a “random burst of violence” on a Tokyo commuter train.

The incident took place on a train near Seijogakuen station in the Japanese capital at about 8:40pm on Friday, August 6.

The 36-year-old suspect allegedly told police he became violent when he saw women who “appeared happy” and wanted to kill them, according to local media reports.

It is also alleged he told police he “chose his targets at random” and chose to stage the attack inside a train because it offered “the chance to kill a large number of people.”

Following the attack one victim, a woman in her 20s, is understood to be in a serious condition while others have suffered less severe injuries.

Tokyo is curently hosting the Olympics, which end on Sunday. The site of the stabbing was about 15 kilometers from the main National Stadium.

In the immediate aftermath of the attack the train was brought to an emergency stop by the driver after they heard noises coming from inside the carriages.

According to investigators, the suspect fled the scene of the attack by jumping onto the tracks.

He later walked into a convenience store and identified himself as the suspect on the news, and said he was tired of running away.

The store manager called the police after seeing bloodstains on the man’s shirt, according to local media reports.

A witness at a nearby station where the train stopped said passengers were rushing out of the carriages, shouting that there was a stabbing and asking for first aid.

Another said he saw passengers smeared with blood coming out of the train, as an announcer asked for doctors and for passengers carrying towels.

Dozens of paramedics and police arrived at the station, one of the witnesses said.

While shooting deaths are rare in Japan, the country has had a series of high-profile killings with knives in recent years.

In 2019, a man carrying two knives attacked a group of schoolgirls waiting at a bus stop just outside Tokyo, killing two people and injuring 17 before killing himself.

In 2018, a man killed a passenger and injuring two others in a knife attack on a bullet train and in 2016, a former employee at a home for the disabled allegedly killed 19 people and injured more than 20.

Tight security measures are currently in place in the Tokyo while the city hosts the Olympics.