10 injured in Tokyo train knife attack; man arrested

The Yomiuri Shimbun

November 1, 2021

An attack on a Tokyo train injured around 10 people, with one person in critical condition, on Sunday evening.

A suspect believed to be in his 20s and alleged to have a knife on an eastbound Keio Line train has been arrested, according to the Metropolitan Police Department.

At around 8 p.m., an emergency was reported that the man was wielding a knife on a train bound for Shinjuku Station when it was running near the main Keio Line’s Fuda Station in Chofu, western Tokyo.

The suspect allegedly spread an oil-like substance and set fire on the seats and other parts of the fifth car of the train, before moving to the third car of the 10-car train and stabbing a passenger, according to the MPD.

The suspect was arrested in the second car after the train made an emergency stop at Kokuryo Station. The stabbed passenger, who appeared to be in his 60 to 70s, is unconscious, the police said.

The suspect appeared to be in cosplay wearing a purple coat, according to investigation sources.

A 22-year-old witness from Chuo Ward, eastern Tokyo, said he was seated on the express train at the time of the attack.

“I found some passengers running desperately, so I wondered if this was some Halloween trick,” he recalled. “I then saw a man walking slowly from behind the passengers while wielding a long knife.

“I also ran away once, but took a seat waiting for the man to pass. I then evacuated.”