Eight people were stabbed and seven others injured after a man launched a mass stabbing attack at a Japanese tire factory, also spraying victims with a chemical substance, on Friday, local media reported.
The incident happened at the Yokohama Rubber Co. plant in Mishima, southwest of Tokyo. Japanese media identified the suspect as a 38-year-old man now in custody. He faces attempted murder charges, according to the Shizuoka prefectural police, as reported by the Asahi Shimbun.
Investigators said the suspect was armed with a survival knife and wearing what appeared to be a gas mask. Police believe he acted alone, though no motive has been disclosed.
The Associated Press cited fire department officials saying five of the stabbing victims are in serious but conscious condition.
“Fourteen people have been transported by emergency services,” said Tomoharu Sugiyama, an official from the firefighting department in Mishima, located in Japan's Shizuoka region, speaking to news agency AFP.
Sugiyama explained that he received a call at around 4:30 p.m. from a rubber factory reporting that “five or six people had been stabbed by someone” and that a “spray-like liquid” had also been used during the attack.
The facility is operated by Yokohama Rubber, a company known for manufacturing tires for trucks and buses.
Violent crime remains relatively rare in Japan, which has one of the world's lowest murder rates and some of the strictest gun control laws.
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