Japan on alert for copycat Joker attacks after man sets fire to train carriage
- A 69-year-old was arrested on Monday for allegedly starting a fire on a bullet train travelling between Kumamoto and Shin-Yatsuhiro stations on Kyushu island
- He reportedly told police he ‘wanted to imitate’ an attack on October 31 by a man dressed as comic book supervillain the Joker that injured 17 people
The incidents come just a week after Japanese authorities warned of “copycat” attacks following a rampage by a man dressed as ‘The Joker’, who stabbed random passengers and attempted to set fire to a train in Tokyo.
Kiyoshi Miyake of Fukuoka City was arrested on suspicion of arson at about 8.30am on Monday after allegedly starting a fire on a train travelling between Kumamoto and Shin-Yatsuhiro stations on the island of Kyushu.
Police were ordered to step up patrols in and around railway stations in the wake of the Halloween attack, which saw a man dressed as comic book supervillain the Joker attack fellow passengers with a knife before setting a train carriage alight.
Kyota Hattori, who was arrested at the scene, reportedly told police at the time that he “wanted to die” and carried out the attack on October 31 so that he would be sentenced to death.