17 injured as knife-wielding man attacks passengers, starts fire on Tokyo train

Oct. 31 (UPI) -- At least 17 people were injured after a man carried out a knife attack and lit a fire on a train in Tokyo Sunday night.

Police arrested a 24-year-old man, who identified himself as Kyota Hattori, for attempted murder for carrying out the attack at around 8 p.m. on the 10-car train traveling from Hachioji to Shinjuku.

A 70-year-old man who was stabbed in the chest was in critical condition, following the attack. The other victims ranged in age from their teens to their 60s.

Some of the victims sustained injuries due to smoke inhalation as the suspect also used cigarette lighter fluid to start a fire on the train.

Investigators said the man admitted he carried out the attack in hopes of being sentenced to the death penalty if he succeeded in killing two people.

He added that he was inspired by a knife attack in August on the Odakyu LIne that left 10 people injured.

The train was forced to make an emergency stop due to the incident and about 40 firefighting vehicles were deployed to combat the blaze.