Suspect arrested in Tokyo train stabbing spree

Firefighters and rescue workers in Tokyo.
(Image credit: STR/JIJI PRESS/AFP via Getty Images)

A 24-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder Sunday night in Tokyo, following a knife attack on a train headed for Shinjuku Station.

Tokyo Metropolitan Police said at least 17 people were injured, and a man in his 70s is in critical condition after being stabbed in the chest. The suspect also allegedly started a fire on the train, burning some seats. NHK, Japan's public broadcaster, said the suspect was arrested after brandishing a knife, and police said he told investigators "he wanted to kill people and be given a death penalty."

Such violent crime is rare in Japan, where it's illegal for people to carry certain types of knives in public, CNN reports. In August, 10 people were stabbed while on a train in Tokyo, and police said the suspect in that attack turned himself in, telling officers he "just wanted to kill any women who looked happy, anyone."

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.