This Article is From Aug 06, 2021

Nine Hurt In Commuter Train Stabbing In Olympic Host Tokyo

Violent crime is rare in Japan, and the attack comes with the capital on heightened security alert as it hosts the Olympic Games.

Nine Hurt In Commuter Train Stabbing In Olympic Host Tokyo

The stabbings took place on an evening train in the west of the city (Representational)

Highlights

  • Attack comes with Tokyo on security alert as it hosts the Olympics
  • Stabbings took place on a train in Setagaya ward, in the west of the city
  • One woman sustained serious back injuries, public broadcaster NHK said
Tokyo:

Nine people were wounded, one of them seriously, on Friday in a stabbing attack on a commuter train in Tokyo, with the suspect later handing himself in after fleeing the scene, local media said.

Violent crime is rare in Japan, and the attack comes with the capital on heightened security alert as it hosts the Olympic Games.

The stabbings took place on an evening train in Setagaya ward, in the west of the city.

One woman in her 20s sustained serious back injuries, public broadcaster NHK said, citing emergency response officials.

The site is several kilometres (miles) from the venue of Olympic equestrian events.

The train was brought to an emergency stop after the rail operator was alerted, and a knife and mobile phone believed to belong to the suspect were found onboard.

The male suspect, also in his 20s, was reportedly taken in by police after he turned himself in at a nearby convenience store, telling the manager he was the perpetrator of the attack.

Japan has strict gun laws, but there are occasional violent crimes involving other weapons.

In 2019, a man killed two people including a schoolgirl and wounded more than a dozen in a rampage that targeted children as they waited for a bus.

And in 2018, a man was arrested in central Japan after stabbing one person to death and injuring two others aboard a bullet train.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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