“The man was arrested. More details will be provided later,” a police spokesman for Saitama Prefecture, near Tokyo, told AFP.
It was previously reported that the suspect’s motive is unclear. In addition, police believed he was also involved in a shooting at a hospital that injured two people, and media reports said a fire at an apartment building was also linked to those events.
“Today around 2 p.m. 15 minutes (local time, 7:15 a.m. Lithuanian time) a person took hostages and barricaded himself in the post office” in Varaby, the authorities of the city north of Tokyo reported on their website.
“The offender appears to be in possession of a weapon,” the statement added.
“Citizens near the scene are urged to follow police instructions and evacuate according to police instructions,” officials said.
Several police cars with flashing lights were still parked around the three-story building after dark, footage from the scene showed.
“It’s a quiet neighborhood. I can’t believe something like this is happening,” 70-year-old local resident Tetsuo Sasaki told AFP.
“I was at that post office just yesterday,” said his wife of 64 years, Reiko Sasaki. – I could have been in the wrong place at the wrong time. I could have been a target.”
Shooting at the hospital
Earlier, two people, a doctor and a patient, were slightly injured at nearby Toda Hospital when shots were reportedly fired into the building from the street.
Police “believe the man was outside that hospital and then came to the post office,” a city official told AFP.
“After 1 p.m. (local time, 6 a.m. Lithuanian time) I heard a woman yelling, “Someone, please come,” and the nurse told me, “Stay away from the windows and stay low,” the man, who was in his 70s, told broadcaster NHK a man
“About 2 p.m. I went to the doctor’s office and saw a pool of blood next to the examination table. I didn’t hear a shot. But the nurse said she heard two shots,” the man said.
Fuji TV said police are also investigating the man’s possible connection to an apartment building fire in Toda earlier in the day. No one was injured in the fire, according to the report.
Violent crime is extremely rare in Japan, in part because of strict gun regulations.
Japan has one of the lowest homicide rates in the world.
However, in recent years, violent crimes, including attacks involving firearms, have received much media attention, most notably the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe last July.
It is reported that Sh. Tetsuya Yamagami, accused of killing Abe, was targeted in politics because of his ties to the Unification Church.
In April, a man was arrested on suspicion of throwing a bomb at Prime Minister Fumio Kishida while he was campaigning in Wakayama. The Prime Minister was not injured in the incident.
The following month, a man who allegedly killed four people with a gun and a knife earlier, including two police officers and an elderly woman, holed up in a building.
Masanori Aoki, 31, was arrested at his home near a farm near the city of Nakano in the Nagano region, police said at the time.
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#Japanese #hostagetaker #arrested #police
Breaking: Hostage Situation Unfolds in Japanese Post Office, Suspect Linked to Hospital Shooting and Apartment Fire
In a shocking turn of events, a bizarre series of incidents has unfolded in Varaby, a city located just north of Tokyo, Japan. According to reports, a man took multiple hostages and barricaded himself inside a post office, sparking a tense standoff with local law enforcement. The suspect, whose identity has not been released, was later arrested, but the full extent of his motives and the events leading up to the crisis remain unclear.
Prior to the hostage situation, a shooting incident occurred at a nearby hospital, where a doctor and a patient sustained minor injuries. Investigators believe the same suspect may have been involved in both incidents, as well as a fire at an apartment building. The sequence of events and the connections between them raise more questions than answers, leaving the community stunned and worried.
Residents of Varaby, who had previously described their neighborhood as quiet and peaceful, were caught off guard by the series of disturbing incidents. One couple, aged 70 and 64, was particularly shaken by the events, having visited the post office just the day before. As news of the hostage situation unfolded, they described their fear and gratitude, saying, “I could have been in the wrong place at the wrong time. I could have been a target.”
Eyewitness accounts from the hospital shooting paint a harrowing picture, with patients and staff being instructed to stay away from windows and seek cover. While the suspect’s motives remain unknown, eyewitnesses described a chaotic scene, with multiple shots fired into the building.
As the investigation unfolds, officials will be working to piece together the sequence of events and determine the suspect’s motivations. The swift response by law enforcement and the eventual arrest of the suspect will undoubtedly be scrutinized in the days to come.
For now, the residents of Varaby are left to process the tragic events and the realization that even the most seemingly peaceful communities can be shaken by random acts of violence.
Questions that persist:
What motivated the suspect to carry out this series of incidents?
How did authorities manage to apprehend the suspect?
* What measures can be taken to prevent such incidents in the future?
As more information becomes available, I will continue to provide updates on this developing story.