Man arrested after deadly shooting and stabbing attack in Japan

A man, identified as Masanori Aoki,  has been arrested after a deadly shooting and stabbing attack in Nagano prefecture, Japan, which has left four people dead. 

The attacker stabbed a woman and shot two policemen with a hunting rifle. Another death was later confirmed, while the circumstances of the fourth death remain unclear. The incident unfolded after a call was received about a man chasing and stabbing a woman, with eyewitnesses reporting the suspect used a 30cm-long bade for the initial attack. 

Gun violence is extremely uncommon in Japan and incidents involving multiple police officers are even rarer, with the last such event happening over 30 years ago. The last major gun attack in Japan was the killing of ex-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in July last year.

The motives remain unclear but its been reported that the attacker said “I killed her because I wanted to,” when asked about the stabbing. The suspect then shot at responding officers before retreating to his father’s residence, where he barricaded himself with his mother and aunt for nearly 12 hours. He was detained after leaving the house. Officials have confirmed the suspect had a firearm permit.