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Tokyo man goes on stabbing spree
Seven dead and 11 injured in popular shopping district in Japanese capital.
Last Modified: 08 Jun 2008 11:53 GMT
Police have arrested 25-year-old Tomohiro Kato
after the incident [AFP]
A Japanese man has gone on a stabbing spree in central Tokyo, killing seven people and injuring 11 others, media reports say.
 
The man drove a truck into pedestrians before he got out and began stabbing people at random on Sunday, public broadcaster NHK said.
The man was subdued after stabbing the bystanders near the bustling train station of Akihabara, an area known for electronics stores that is a haven for fans of video-games and comic-book culture.
Television footage showed green plastic sheets in the middle of an intersection set up to give privacy to the injured as they were treated.
 
Crowds surrounded the area and looked on after the knifing spree in Akihabara, which was closed to cars on the Sunday afternoon.
 
'Tired of life'
 
"I am shaking," a middle-aged woman told the NHK.
 
"It's pretty shocking, considering that I come here all the time," one middle-aged man said.
 
Police said they arrested Tomohiro Kato, 25, on the spot.
 
Tomohiri told NHK that he was "tired of life".
 
Private broadcaster Nippon Television showed footage of a slight, blood-splattered Tomohiro, being arrested by police.
 
Akihabara is crowded at weekend with both tourists and locals seeking cheap electronic gadgets.
 
Jiro Akagi, a police spokesman, confrimed Tomohiro's arrest and identity, but declined to give further details.
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