Kyota Hattori Tokyo Joker stabbing suspect says he was suicidal after messing up at work and sought to kill at least two people in order to receive the death penalty.
A knife wielding suspect dressed as the Joker who went on a rampage on a Japanese train Sunday night told police he hoped to get the death penalty because he’d ‘messed up at work,’ according to a report.
‘I wanted to die,’ Kyota Hattori, 24, told cops of the 8 p.m. attack that left 17 people injured — and ended with footage of him calmly sitting cross-legged and smoking a cigarette on the Tokyo train he’d also partially set on fire.
‘I messed up at work around June and wasn’t getting along with friends,’ Hattori explained to police, according to Japan News.
‘I thought that if I killed two or more people, I would get the death penalty. It didn’t matter who they were,’ the man is alleged to have said.
Hattori said he sprayed pesticide into the eyes of a 72-year-old man who was next to him on the express train — then tried to kill him by stabbing him in the chest with a 12-inch knife.
Regrets failing to kill anyone during attack
He confessed to wanting to kill the man, who is in critical condition after the knife pierced his lung.
Hattori then moved to another car, where he spread lighter fluid and set seats and the surroundings on fire, with most of the 16 other injuries coming from smoke inhalation, officials said.
During questioning, Hattori expressed regret at failing to kill anyone in the attack, police said.
Hattori confessed to being inspired by an earlier Tokyo train attack in which 10 people were injured in August, noting how the cooking oil used that time did not spread.
京王線火災、刃物男逮捕 pic.twitter.com/TGhtO3ntTA
— しずくβ (@siz33) October 31, 2021
‘Looking at the Odakyu Line train case in August, I targeted an express train which would have more passengers and used cigarette lighter fluid,’ Hattori told police, the Tokyo News said.
Police found a knife, several plastic bottles which possibly contained lighter fluid and an aerosol can in a train car.
Sunday night’s incident which occurred on Halloween night follows Hattori saying he was an avid fan of Batman villain character, the Joker. Video footage showed the 24 year old man wearing a green shirt and purple suit in what appeared to be a Joker costume.
🚨 | NEW: The alleged attacker in Japan, in a “Joker” costume. Sitting and casually smoking after stabbing and spraying hydrochloric acid on passengers on a train in Tokyo, and then setting everything on fire
— News For All (@NewsForAllUK) October 31, 2021
Series of stabbing attacks
About two hours before the incident, Hattori visited Tokyo’s Shibuya district, a hot spot for costumed partygoers to celebrate Halloween, Nikkei Asia reported citing police.
Hattori is still being investigated on suspicion of attempted murder, the Tokyo metropolitan police department said Monday.
While shooting deaths are rare in Japan, the country has had a series of high-profile knife killings in recent years.
In 2019, a man carrying two knives attacked a group of schoolgirls waiting at a bus stop just outside Tokyo, killing two people and injuring 17 before killing himself. In 2016, a former employee at a home for the disabled killed 19 people and injured more than 20.
The August train attack that allegedly inspired Sunday’s spree came the day before the Tokyo Olympics closing ceremony. A 36-year-old man stabbed 10 commuters, later telling police that he wanted to attack women who looked happy.
