SAITAMA (TR) – Saitama Prefectural Police have arrested a 39-year-old man over the stabbing of three Cambodian nationals at an apartment building in Hanyu City on Saturday, reports NHK (Dec. 9).
At around 9:00 p.m., Hideaki Nakayama, of no known occupation, entered a unit of the building, located in the Minamihanyu area, through an unlocked window and allegedly slashed the three persons — two men (32 and 29) and a woman (34) — in the abdomen and chest with a knife.
The victims were transported to a hospital with injuries not considered life-threatening, according to the Hanyu Police Station
After the incident, a neighbor who “heard the screams and cries of a man” tipped off police. Officers arriving at the scene found Nakayama, who lives in a different unit of the building, on a road near the residence with blood on his face.
“I stabbed three foreigners,” the suspect was quoted by upon his arrest on suspicion of attempted murder. “I entered the unit to try to kill people.”
At the time of the incident, there were seven persons inside the residence. The suspect used several knives to carry out the crime, police said.
Police are now seeking a motive for the crime.