The Iwate Assault from NHK News Web

May 25 afternoon – in the AKB48 handshake event held in Takizawa City (Iwate Pref.) 3 persons (members and staff) have been slashed by a man and brought to the hospital. The police has arrested the male attacker on charges of attempted homicide. The attacked members are Kawaei Rina (19 years old), Iriyama Anna (18 years old) and a male staff member; the gravity of their wounds is undisclosed but according to police and firefighter reports, all 3 of them are conscious.

Around 5 PM of May 25, in the AKB48 handshake event held at Takizawa City (Iwate Pref.) in the Iwate Sangyo Bunka Center “Apio”, the police received reports from a staff member in the venue stating that “we have caught a man who slashed several people with a saw”. According to police investigation, the attacker had a 50-cm long saw-like item and suddenly attacked members while queuing for the handshake. According to the investigation, 2 women (AKB members Kawaei and Iriyama) and 1 man (staff member) – 3 persons have been wounded and brought to the hospital.

The gravity of their wounds is still undisclosed, but apparently all 3 of them are conscious. According to the police, the attacker was caught by the individuals around him, and is now arrested on charges of attempted homicide. The attacker, Umeda Satoru (24 years old) of Towada City (Aomori Pref.), admits to the charges against him. The police is now looking further into the situation. Nearby the venue several patrol cars and policemen are on guard to avoid unrelated parties entering the location.

Kawaei and Iriyama

According to the AKB48 official homepage, Kawaei Rina is 19 years old, hailing from Kanagawa prefecture. She belongs to Team A and carries the nickname “Ricchan”. Iriyama Anna is 18, from Chiba prefecture, belongs to Team A and is nicknamed “Annin”.

1~5 members per booth, for a total of 8 booths

The venue is a large-size multi-purpose facility with a capacity of 8000 people; according to a 40-year old male from Miyagi pref. who was present today, from the venue’s entrance to the opposite end, there were 4 tents set up on the right side of the venue.

The tents were divided in 2, thus 8 booths were formed, in which from 1 to 5 AKB members were stationed. The attack happened in the 2nd booth from the entrance. Furthermore, the remaining members were in a space near the entrance, with a crowd of people nearby. Fans line up in a queue in front of the booth where their desired member is, enter the booth one by one and shake hands with the AKB members, then exit the venue.

Fans gathering in front of the hospital

Fans gathered in front of the hospital where the wounded have been brought to, a worried atmosphere among them. A 19-year old student living in Morioka says “There were 10 handshake queues, and I was just waiting in the back when all of a sudden an announcement said “Please wait”. I thought that maybe a member had fainted from exhaustion, but the police and ambulance came, so I understood something bad had happened. I am really shocked it was something like this.” According to this young man, in the entrance of the venue where tickets are exchanged fans’ belongings are checked, but the contents of his bag were not controlled.

Source : NHK News Web