Japan: One dead, seven hurt in shopping-centre stab attack

One person was stabbed to death and at least seven others were hurt by a man who went on a knifing spree at a shopping centre in eastern Japan today.

Chaos broke out after the attacks at the crowded mall, with the sirens of several ambulances blasting through the compound and people frightened by the sight of bleeding victims trying to escape, Japanese media reported.

The incident occurred in the city of Tsuchiura, said Kiyoto Ogata, a police spokesman. At least seven shoppers were injured and an eighth – a 27-year-old man – died as he was rushed to a nearby hospital, he said.

Police arrested the alleged attacker, 24-year-old jobless man Masahiro Kanagawa who was wanted over the earlier killing of a 72-year-old man, Ogata said.

The extent of the victims’ wounds and the attacker’s motive were not immediately known, Ogata said.