2 killed, 17 injured in stabbing attack in Japan

By Mari Yamaguchi and Jae Hong The Associated Press

5 years ago

Rescuers work at the scene of an attack in Kawasaki, near Tokyo Tuesday, May 28, 2019. A man wi ... — Rescuers work at the scene of an attack in Kawasaki, near Tokyo Tuesday, May 28, 2019. A man wielding a knife attacked commuters waiting at a bus stop just outside Tokyo during Tuesday morning’s rush hour, Japanese authorities and media said. (Kyodo News via AP)

Women pray after offering flowers near the scene where a man wielding a knife attacked commuters in Kawasaki, near Tokyo Tuesday, May 28, 2019. A man carrying a knife in each hand and screaming "I will kill you!" attacked a group of schoolgirls and adults as he walked toward a bus stop just outside Tokyo on Tuesday, officials said(Kyodo News via AP)

A man pays respects at a makeshift memorial for the victims of a knife attack Tuesday, May 28, 2019, in Kawasaki, just outside Tokyo. A man carrying a knife in each hand has attacked a group of schoolgirls waiting at a bus stop just outside Tokyo. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

This aerial photo shows the scene of an attack in Kawasaki, near Tokyo Tuesday, May 28, 2019. Authorities say a number of people have been stabbed in an attack. (Jun Hirata/Kyodo News via AP)

This aerial photo shows the scene of an attack in Kawasaki, near Tokyo Tuesday, May 28, 2019. Authorities say a number of people have been stabbed in an attack. (Kyodo News via AP)

Rescuers work at the scene of an attack in Kawasaki, near Tokyo Tuesday, May 28, 2019. A man wielding a knife attacked commuters waiting at a bus stop just outside Tokyo during Tuesday morning’s rush hour, Japanese authorities and media said. (Kyodo News via AP)

CARITAS Elementary School bus is seen near the scene where a man wielding a knife attacked commuters in Kawasaki, near Tokyo Tuesday, May 28, 2019. A man carrying a knife in each hand and screaming "I will kill you" attacked schoolgirls waiting at a bus stop just outside Tokyo on Tuesday, Japanese authorities and media said.(Kyodo News via AP)

CARITAS Elementary School students leave their school with parents following an attack in Kawasaki, near Tokyo Tuesday, May 28, 2019. A man swinging a knife attacked commuters waiting at a crowded bus stop just outside Tokyo during Tuesday morning’s rush hour, wounding a number of people, including children, Japanese authorities said. (Shinji Kita/Kyodo News via AP)

A school bus, center, is parked at the scene of an attack in Kawasaki, near Tokyo Tuesday, May 28, 2019. A man wielding a knife attacked commuters waiting at a bus stop just outside Tokyo during Tuesday morning’s rush hour, Japanese authorities and media said. (Kyodo News via AP)

KAWASAKI, Japan — A man carrying a knife in each hand and screaming “I will kill you!” attacked a group of schoolgirls near a school bus parked at a bus stop just outside Tokyo on Tuesday, killing two people and injuring at least 17 before killing himself, officials said.

Most of the victims were students at a Catholic elementary school who were lined up at the bus stop near Noborito Park in the city of Kawasaki when the man began slashing them with knives. Officials said police captured the attacker but he died at a hospital from a self-inflicted cut in his neck.

Witnesses described a hellish scene: children and adults falling to the ground, some with their shirts soaked with blood, dozens of children running and screaming for help, and school bags and books scattered on the ground.

“I heard a scream so I stopped and turned around to see what happened. It was not a normal tone of voice,” said Yasuko Atsukata. She said she saw one person collapse, and then another. “The color of their white shirts turned red after they collapsed, then I understood they got stabbed.”

In a nearby parking lot, a frightened-looking boy was in shock with scratches on his face, hands and legs, apparently from falling to the ground as he ran for his life.

Police identified the attacker as Ryuichi Iwasaki, a 51-year-old resident of Kawasaki, and said they were still checking his occupation. The attacker’s motive wasn’t immediately known.

Police found two more knives in the man’s knapsack in addition to the two he was holding, according to media reports.

Iwasaki reportedly lived with his elderly uncle and aunt and was known as a troublemaker. A neighbor said Iwasaki repeatedly rang her doorbell early one the morning about a year ago and yelled at her husband that he had been hit by a tree branch sticking out from their yard, the Sankei newspaper reported.

Kawasaki city official Masami Arai said most of the injured were students at Caritas Gakuen, a Catholic school founded by Soeurs de la Charite de Quebec, an organization of Catholic nuns in Quebec City in Canada. Arai said three of the injuries were serious.

Kanagawa prefectural police confirmed 17 people were injured and three others had died, including the attacker. Police identified the two other fatalities as 11-year-old Hanako Kuribayashi and Satoshi Oyama, a 39-year-old government employee who was taking his child to the bus stop.

Witnesses said that as the attack unfolded, the bus driver shouted at the attacker, and as he was running away he cut his own neck, collapsing in a pool of blood as police seized him.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he was outraged by the attack.

“Many small children were victimized, and I feel strong resentment,” Abe said as he was hosting President Donald Trump on a four-day state visit, which ended Tuesday. “I will take all possible measures to protect the safety of children.”

Associated Press journalist Haruka Nuga contributed to this report.