A 24-year-old man in Japan in a Joker outfit has been arrested after a knife and fire attack on Tokyo's Keio line on Sunday (Oct. 31).

The train was bound for Shinjuku, where people were heading for Halloween celebrations.

What happened

According to Japan Times, eyewitnesses and investigative sources said the suspect was holding a kitchen knife in one hand and a plastic bottle in another as he walked through the train.

The suspect allegedly stabbed an elderly man, and then scattered lighter fluid in the carriage to start a fire.

A passenger, who was within close proximity to the attacker, told Japanese media that he thought it was a Halloween prank, adding that the knife looked like it had fake blood on it.

At least 17 people, including the male passenger who sustained knife injuries, were injured in this incident, with 16 sustaining minor injuries, including smoke inhalation.

A passenger pressed the emergency button on the train and an emergency stop was made at Kokuryo station to evacuate passengers, NHK reported.

In videos uploaded to Twitter, people were seen trying to flee the scene. Screaming could also be heard.

京王線社内で火災発生 pic.twitter.com/94cLtJkDy4

— しずくβ (@siz33) October 31, 2021

Others tried to escape from the train via the windows.

京王線火災で逃げる人々 pic.twitter.com/ZfN1pD0C2V

— しずくβ (@siz33) October 31, 2021

The train service was suspended on both its inbound and outbound lines.

Suspect arrested

A video uploaded to Twitter showed a man, purportedly the attacker, in a purple suit and green shirt smoking a cigarette while seated.

The tweet claimed that he had a knife in his right hand.

こやつが
京王線の犯人です

右手にナイフ
左手にタバコめちゃくちゃ手は震えてた

とにかくこいつにむかつきました

すごくみんな必死に逃げて
僕がみんなに窓から出ろ言い死にものぐるいでみんなででてたこいつの前まで来ました

本当に許せなかった
殴りたかったです
#京王線#京王線刃物#犯人 pic.twitter.com/fdlLN9nj1Z

— TKC (@takahashi9811) October 31, 2021

The same man was seen surrounded by police in a subsequent video:

京王線火災、刃物男逮捕 pic.twitter.com/TGhtO3ntTA

— しずくβ (@siz33) October 31, 2021

While multiple media outlets reported that the suspect was dressed as the Joker from Batman, others highlighted that he could have been referencing Yoshikage Kira, an anime character from JoJo's Bizarre Adventures.

The suspect, who was identified as Kyota Hattori, was arrested by police.

According to Japan News, Hattori said that he wanted to be sentenced to death for killing people.

He told the police that he bought the knife online, and learnt from the Odakyu incident that took place in August.

The Odakyu incident involved a man injuring 10 passengers in a random knife attack.

The man, who told police that he wanted to kill "happy looking women", was charged with attempted murder for allegedly stabbing a 20-year-old female university student.

The Metropolitan Police Department is investigating details of the attack.

Top photo via siz33/Twitter.