A 24-year-old man dressed as Batman character The Joker has been arrested after passengers on a Tokyo train were attacked on Sunday evening (31 October).
Seventeen people were left injured, with police arresting the suspected attacker on the spot, according to local media.
Witnesses also said the individual had spread fluid around the carriage before starting a fire. The fire is believed to have spread from a seat in the fifth car of the express train, which made an emergency stop at Kokuryo Station.
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A man believed to be in his 60s was reportedly left unconscious and in a critical condition after being stabbed.
In a video uploaded to social media, a stream of people could be seen running away from the train car, where seconds later, flames began to emerge. Another showed passengers climbing through the train's windows at a station, with the doors still shut.
"I thought it was a Halloween stunt," one witness told the Yomiuri newspaper, recalling the moment he saw other passengers running towards his train car. "Then, I saw a man walking this way, slowly waving a long knife."
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There was blood on the knife, he added.
"I heard a loud bang and saw flames and smoke in the back. Everyone was panicking," another passenger told the Japan Times.
Police officers were seen entering the carriage in which the suspect was calmly seated and smoking a cigarette, reportedly dressed in a Joker costume. Reports say that he did not resist being taken into custody.
Local media reported later that the suspect told authorities he 'wanted to kill people so he could be sentenced to death'.
The attack occurred on the Keio express line bound for Shinjuku, the world's busiest rail station, at around 8pm (11.00 GMT), media said.
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The train is said to have been busier than usual due to people heading to Halloween celebrations in the city centre.
Featured Image Credit: NHK