Attacker in Joker mask ‘wanted to kill lots of people,’ police in Japan say

A man dressed as the Batman villain Joker who allegedly carried out an attack on a Tokyo train over the weekend told law enforcement officials that he “wanted to kill lots of people.”

Kyota Hattori, 24, told police following his arrest “I wanted to kill lots of people, I wanted the death penalty,” according to Reuters.

Hattori, while dressed in a multicolor Joker outfit, allegedly attacked multiple people who were boarding trains on Halloween. 

Hattori told officials that he chose to carry out the attack on Halloween because he knew that crowds of people would be taking the train. He reportedly left his hotel on Saturday afternoon headed by train to Tokyo’s Shibuya district, which is famous for its Halloween street party, Reuters noted.

During the incident, Hattori allegedly sparked a fire at the carriage of the train, forcing people to flee the train through windows, Reuters reported.

Hattori revealed to investigators that “things weren’t going well with work and friends,” leading him to quit his job in the city of Fukuoka. He reportedly began moving east until he settled in Tokyo a month ago. 

During a Tuesday news conference, Transport Minister Tetsuo Saito emphasized the need for train companies to work toward preventing further attacks.

“Trains are essential to the life of society, and it’s extremely important to be able to feel safe as you ride them,” he added.