Police: Train Attacker Had Work Trouble
A 24-year-old man arrested for stabbing a man with a knife in a train in Tokyo on Sunday reportedly told police he began to think about killing people around June, after a failure at work and troubled relationships with friends.
The incident happened on a Keio Line train near Kokuryo Station in Chofu City in western Tokyo at around 8:00 p.m. on Sunday.
The Metropolitan Police Department said the suspect, Hattori Kyota, boarded the limited express train bound for Shinjuku at Chofu station.
He is thought to have sprayed insecticide on a 72-year-old man and stabbed him. The victim is in a coma after being seriously injured.
After the stabbing, the suspect poured lighter fluid inside the train and set it ablaze and moved into other cars as passengers fled.
Many passengers escaped out of train windows.
Sixteen passengers suffered minor injuries, including smoke inhalation.
Police inspected the site of the incident on Monday.
Police say Hattori told them he had problems at work and his relationships with others weren't going well. He also said he had been thinking about killing someone since around June this year.
At the time of the attack, the suspect was wearing a blue suit with a green shirt and a tie. He also had on a purplish coat. Hattori said he was dressed as the Joker, a nemesis of Batman in US comic books and films.
He reportedly told police that he was a big fan of the Joker, and that he was wearing his best outfit for a special occasion.
Police are investigating Hattori's behavior further, suspecting that he indiscriminately targeted people on the train.