Slasher attacks Japan female pop group AKB48 with saw at fan event

Two teenage members of Japanese girl group AKB48 were in hospital on Monday after being attacked by a man wielding a saw at one of the band’s regular meet-the-fans events, managers said.

Rina Kawaei, 19, and Anna Iriyama, 18, both suffered broken bones in their right hands and received cuts on their arms and heads from the 50-centimetre saw at the event in Iwate in northern Japan.

Reports said the attack came after a mini-concert early Sunday afternoon as fans were lining up to shake hands with performers inside booths.

Kawaei and Iriyama were inside the same booth when a man in the queue suddenly produced a saw, the Yomiuri daily said.

Fans told Japanese media they heard a shriek, apparently from one of the young women, saying “Stop it!”

Some of the 100 or so staff and security guards at the event pounced on the attacker and held him until police arrived, reports said. A member of staff was also hurt in the melee.