Man arrested after four killed in Nagano knife, gun attack

Tokyo, May 26 (EFE).- A man was arrested early Friday morning near the Japanese city of Nakano, after four people were killed in a stabbing and shooting incident during which the suspect barricaded himself inside a house.

The incident began at around 4.30 pm Thursday (09:30 GMT) when the suspect allegedly stabbed a woman and then opened fire with what appeared to be a hunting rifle at two police officers who were dispatched to the scene, public broadcaster NHK reported. All three people died.

The suspect then fled and barricaded himself in his father’s home from which two other women, including the suspect’s mother, separately escaped during the night. An elderly woman who was found outside the house also died.

At around 4.30 am on Friday, a 31-year-old man was captured by police outside the house, according to NHK, which added that the detainee is the eldest son of the speaker of the city assembly in Nagano prefecture.

The 57-year-old assembly speaker was confirmed safe and the two male police officers who died were identified as Yoshiki Tamai, 46, and Takuo Ikeuchi, 61, Kyodo news reported.

The motive for the attack is not known.

Police cordoned off a 300-meter perimeter around the crime scene.

The incident shocked the residents of a normally quiet area dotted with houses and rice fields.

Japan has one of the lowest homicide and firearms incident rates in the world, and such incidents are rare. EFE

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