8 injured in knife attack in Incheon; Lee calls for thorough probe
Injured citizens receive emergency medical treatment at a commercial building in Incheon, Tuesday, after a man, believed to be in his 60s, went on a stabbing spree, injuring eight people. Yonhap
Eight people were injured after a man went on a stabbing spree in a commercial complex in Incheon, west of Seoul, on Tuesday, police said.
The 59-year-old man attacked people with knives fastened to both his hands at 1:40 p.m. while moving on an escalator between the second basement floor — where a Homeplus supermarket is located — and the second floor above ground, according to Namdong Police Station.
The man was subdued by shoppers and later apprehended by police officers, who were questioning him in custody.
All eight victims were rushed to hospitals, including a woman in her 20s in cardiac arrest. The woman recovered from cardiac arrest after undergoing emergency surgery but has not regained consciousness.
Police plan to seek a warrant for the suspect's formal arrest Wednesday after questioning him about his motive.
The suspect was found to be carrying a large quantity of drugs and wearing an electronic ankle monitor for a previous conviction, police said.
He reportedly told police that he had taken drugs at the time of the attack.
Rescue workers assist an injured citizen at a commercial building in Incheon, west of Seoul, Wednesday, after a man, believed to be in his 60s, went on a stabbing spree. Yonhap
The suspect had been ordered to wear an ankle monitor for 10 years, until February 2029, after serving a four-year prison term in 2019 for attempting to murder his former wife.
Later in the day, President Lee Jae Myung visited the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency to receive a briefing on the incident and called for a thorough investigation, the presidential office said in a written briefing.
Lee ordered officials to come up with "special" measures against violent crimes that threaten the people's daily lives, according to Seong Ghi-hong, senior presidential secretary for public relations and communication.
Lee also called on officials to mobilize all resources to prevent violent crimes and swiftly respond to them, while ordering a thorough examination of the management system for those wearing ankle monitors.
The justice ministry apologized over the incident, saying that it will investigate the management of its electronic ankle monitor system.
"(We) deeply apologize for causing great concern to the public," the justice ministry said. "(We) will comprehensively reexamine the electronic monitoring and supervision system and swiftly come up with necessary improvements and supplementary measures."
Kim Jong-chul, acting chief of the National Police Agency, instructed police to conduct a swift and thorough investigation into the attack in a virtual meeting with police agency chiefs across the country.
He also ordered strengthened preventive measures against violent crimes by deploying sufficient police personnel in crowded public places.