At around 8 p.m. JST on 31 October 2021, a man, 24-year-old Kyota Hattori carried out a knife and arson attack on a Keiō Railway train as it was travelling to Kokuryō Station on the Keiō Line in Chōfu, a city in the western suburbs of Tokyo, Japan.[2][3] He injured 17 people, one critically.[2][3] Japanese authorities later identified Hattori and he was arrested at the scene.[2][3]
| October 2021 Tokyo attack | |
|---|---|
 A Keiō Line train | |
| Location | Chōfu, Tokyo, Japan |
| Date | 31 October 2021 around 8:00 p.m. (JST) |
| Target | Civilians |
Attack type | Stabbing, arson, acid |
| Weapons | Knife, hydrochloric acid |
| Deaths | 0 |
| Injured | 17 |
| Motive | To receive the death penalty[1] |
| Accused | Kyota Hattori |
Incident
The attack began as Hattori reportedly sprayed pesticide into the eyes of the man sitting next to him on the train, before stabbing him in the chest. He then moved to another car and spread lighter fluid across the car in order to start a fire.[4] Some of the passengers thought the attacker was part of a Halloween stunt, until other passengers began fleeing and Hattori began waving a long bloody knife.[5]
As the Special Express train passed through Fuda Station, one of the passengers pressed the emergency alarm; in response, the train planned to make an emergency stop at Kokuryō Station. While the train was approaching Kokuryō Station, the emergency door release handle was pulled, causing the train to stop 2 to 3 meters before its proper parking position. As the train was coming to a stop, footage recorded by a passenger showed other passengers fleeing to one end of the train as the fire ignited by the attacker erupted in one of the cars. After the train had come to a stop, passengers opened the train's windows and climbed out to escape.[6]
Suspect
After being arrested, the 24-year-old suspect was identified as Kyota Hattori. He allegedly told officers that he wanted to die after having work problems in June of 2021 and that he was no longer getting along with his friends. He allegedly stated that if he had killed at least two people, he would receive the death penalty.[4]
Several media outlets noted that the man was dressed in clothing that appeared similar to that of the Joker character from the Batman franchise.[2]
Attempted recreation
Eight days later on 8 November 2021, a 69-year old man from Fukuoka attempted to set a Sakura Shinkansen service on fire.[7] Although no casualties were reported, the man claimed that the motive of the attack was to replicate the attacks done in Tokyo the week before.
See also
References
- ^ "Man with knife stabs at least 17 on Tokyo train; starts fire". Al Jazeera. 31 October 2021.
- ^ a b c d "At least 17 injured in Tokyo subway knife and arson attack". BBC World News. 31 October 2021. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
- ^ a b c "Man stabbed, 16 others hurt as attacker starts fire on Tokyo train". The Japan Times. News2u Holdings, Inc. 31 October 2021. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
- ^ a b Brown, Lee (1 November 2021). "'Joker' maniac in Tokyo train attack was suicidal after he 'messed up at work'". New York Post. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Aitken, Peter (31 October 2021). "Man dressed as Joker stabs 17 people on Tokyo train". Fox News. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
- ^ 日本放送協会. "京王線 逮捕された24歳容疑者「人を殺し死刑になりたかった」". NHKニュース. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
- ^ "Man Arrested after Setting Fire on Kyushu Shinkansen Train". nippon.com. 8 November 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
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