 |
Eight Dead in Japanese School Massacre
A mentally disturbed man murdered eight schoolchildren aged from six to eight in a frenzied stabbing attack at an elementary school June 8 in western Japan, officials said.
The 37-year-old man stabbed at least 26 children and three teachers, police said, in the latest shocking incident to hit a country proud of its low crime rates.
The knife-wielding man, who was reportedly high on medication, went on the rampage shortly after lessons started at the elementary school in Ikeda, about 500 kilometres (310 miles) west of Tokyo.
The man from nearby Osaka was arrested at the school, but was incoherent when questioned by police after taking a large dosage of tranquillizer, according to reports.
The suspect's name was being withheld as he was a psychiatric outpatient, Kyodo News said.
The murdered classmates were aged between six and eight, police said. Japanese elementary school pupils are aged from six to 12 years.
The man was wielding a knife with a 15-centimetre (six-inch) blade, Japan Broadcasting Corp. (NHK) said.
Live footage from an NHK helicopter showed about 10 ambulances surrounding the main entrance to the school and stretchers lying on the ground.
Children could be seen lining up in the school yard under instructions from teachers shortly after the man was arrested.
There was no immediate word on a motive or the suspect's connections to the school.
Jiji Press said the man had been arrested in March 1999 for allegedly lacing tea with tranquilliser and serving it to four teachers at another elementary school where he used to work.
He confessed to the crime but was freed by prosecutors, the news agency said.
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi expressed shock at the stabbings.
In This Section
|