A 24-YEAR-OLD man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder in the Japanese capital Tokyo after a knife attack on a train left at least 17 people injured Sunday evening, police said, as many people were streaming into the city center to celebrate Halloween. Witnesses said the suspect was wearing a costume that appeared to depict the character of the Joker from the Batman franchise. At least one passenger — a man in his 70s — was in critical condition after being stabbed in the chest, police said. According to Japan’s public broadcaster NHK, the suspect was arrested after brandishing a knife and starting a fire on a moving train around 8 p.m. near Kokuryo Station in Chofu City, in Tokyo’s western suburbs. The alleged attacker used cigarette lighter fluid to set a fire inside the train, causing large flames to rise briefly and burning some seats, NHK reported, citing police. The man told investigators that he “wanted to kill people and be given a death penalty,” police said. (SD-Agencies) |