A knifeman who was dressed as the Joker when he went on a Halloween rampage and injured 17 people onboard a Tokyo commuter train has told police he 'adores' the Batman villain.
Kyota Hattori, 24, reportedly stabbed 10 people and poured what is believed to have been oil around the train carriage before setting it on fire, causing panic among passengers who had initially thought it was a Halloween stunt.
It was also reported hydrochloric acid was thrown during the attack, which occurred on the Keio express line bound for Shinjuku, the world's busiest rail station.
Hattori told police that he had chosen the crowded train for the knife and arson attack where 'people couldn't run away', Japanese broadcaster NHK reported.
Hattori, who was seen sitting on the train after the attack in a Joker outfit smoking a cigarette and reportedly holding a knife, told detectives he was failing at work and he had troubled relationships with friends.
The Tokyo Fire Department said in all 17 passengers were injured, including three seriously, in the Halloween attack.
Not all of them were stabbed and most of the injuries were not serious, officials added. Hattori later told police he regrets not having been able to kill people as he had planned.
A 72-year-old man from Tokyo was unconscious and in critical condition after being stabbed in the chest with an 11-inch-long knife, according to media.
The attacker was arrested on the spot and is now being investigated on suspicion of attempted murder.
His motive was not immediately known but Kyodo reported that the suspect had told investigators he 'wanted to kill people and be given the death penalty', and that he'd had a desire for the death penalty since around June. He also told them he had spread lighter fluid in the train.
Nippon Television reported that the suspect told police he used an earlier train stabbing case as an example.
Source: dailymail.co.uk, R. Bunyan, November 1, 2021
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