MITO, Jul 29 (News On Japan) - Six people were injured in a knife attack on the evening of July 28th near JR Mito Station in Ibaraki Prefecture, with two men sustaining serious wounds. Police arrested 48-year-old Hirokazu Shiobara at the scene on suspicion of attempted murder.
The incident occurred around 6 p.m. on a sidewalk roughly 800 meters from the station along a national highway. Eyewitness footage showed two men restraining Shiobara, with a long stick-like object visible in the struggle. Another image captured a man lying on the pavement in a pool of blood, while nearby, a shirtless bystander was seen wrapping clothes around the victim's injured elbow to stop the bleeding.
A witness who assisted with first aid said, "One man was lying on the road with cuts to his forehead, abdomen, and wrist. Another in the middle of the sidewalk had a deep cut to his wrist."
According to police, Shiobara attacked six passersby—men and women ranging in age from 27 to 75—with a bladed weapon, targeting their arms. A 70-year-old man and a 65-year-old man were seriously injured but remained conscious.
Shiobara, who claims to live near the scene, is accused of attempting to murder the 70-year-old man by slashing his face and wrist with a knife.
A nearby office worker said a colleague witnessed the attack. "He had two or three long-bladed weapons and was wearing goggles. He was chasing someone when a man called out, 'What are you doing?' and then the attacker turned and stabbed him."
Another witness said Shiobara was wearing a survival mask and had a survival knife about 30 centimeters long hanging from his waist. "I took off the belt, removed the knife, and threw it aside," the witness recalled.
The attack occurred during the evening rush hour, and aerial footage showed bloodstains on the sidewalk and police investigators examining the area. One of the recovered weapons was found in a brown case, with several others nearby.
An eyewitness recounted the frightening scene: "The knife was quite long. He was swinging it around. When one man fell, he got up and was attacked again. Even when he tried to crawl away, the attacker came after him. It was terrifying."
The witness said Shiobara was eventually subdued by passersby before police arrived. "About seven or eight men held him down before five or six officers moved in," the witness said.
Police confiscated four knives from the scene, all believed to belong to Shiobara. At the time of the attack, Shiobara reportedly held one knife in each hand, while the remaining two were strapped around his waist. One of them was stained with blood. Investigators are treating the incident as a possible random attack against passersby and are continuing their investigation.
Source: TBS
