Suspect arrested in Tokyo train stabbing spree

Firefighters and rescue workers in Tokyo.

(Image credit: STR/JIJI PRESS/AFP via Getty Images)

published 1 November 2021

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."

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.