A man, dressed as the DC comics villian Joker, stabbed several people before starting a fire in a Tokyo commuter train on Sunday. Police said at least 17 people were injured, including three who sustained serious injuries, the Associated Press cited Japanese public television NHK as reporting.      

The man, in his early 20s, was arrested on the spot and is being investigated for attempted murder, NHK said, adding his motives are currently unknown.

The suspect told police he wanted to kill and get a death sentence, using a previous knife attack in a train as an example. Witnesses said the man wore a bright outfit – a green shirt, a blue suit and a purple coat – just like the Joker in the Batman comics. 

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“I thought it was a Halloween stunt,” a witness told the Yomiuri newspaper, recalling the moment he saw other passengers running in a panic towards his train car. “Then, I saw a man walking this way, slowly waving a long knife.” 

Tokyo police officials said the attack happened inside the Keio train near the Kokuryo station. 

Television footage showed firefighters, police officials and paramedics rescuing the passengers, many of whom escaped through the train windows. 

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NHK said the suspect, after stabbing passengers, poured a liquid resembling oil from a plastic bottle and set fire, which partially burned seats. 

The attack was the second involving a knife on a Tokyo train in two months. 

In August, the day before the Tokyo Olympics closing ceremony, a 36-year-old man stabbed 10 passengers on a commuter train in Tokyo in a random burst of violence. The suspect later told police that he wanted to attack women who looked happy.

While shooting deaths are rare in Japan, the country has had a series of high-profile knife killings in recent years.

(With inputs from the Associated Press)