October 2021 Tokyo attack

October 2021 Tokyo attack
A Keiō Line train
Location	Chōfu, Tokyo, Japan
Date	31 October 2021 (2021-10-31) 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

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 identifying Hattori and he was arrested at the scene.^[2][3]

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 he has had work problems in June 2021 and 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]

See also[]

• August 2021 Tokyo stabbings
• Akihabara massacre
• Kawasaki stabbings
• Osaka school massacre
• Sagamihara stabbings
• Suicidal ideation
• Tokyo subway sarin attack

References[]

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