Man Arrested for Carrying Knives in Tokyo’s Setagaya Ward; Possible Pipe-bomb Also Found (UPDATE 1)

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:44 JST, December 4, 2023

A man in his 20s was arrested on the street in Setagaya Ward, Tokyo, for alleged possession of knives around noon on Monday.

A woman ran into a police box complaining that she was being followed by a strange man on the street, near the Odakyu Line’s Seijogakuen-mae Station. Police arrested the man on suspicion of violating the firearms and swords control law.

Besides two knives, police also found the man had what seemed to be a steel pipe. He reportedly said it was a bomb, with gunpowder inside.

According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, the substance inside the pipe tested positive for gunpowder, but there was no risk of explosion as there was no ignition device.

The man said he had the knives because he wanted to stab the woman and kill himself, according to Seijo Police Station sources.