(ATTN: UPDATES throughout with details; RECASTS headline, lead; ADDS photo)
INCHEON, Oct. 13 (Yonhap) -- Eight people were injured after a man went on a stabbing spree in a commercial complex in Incheon, west of Seoul, on Tuesday, police said.
The 59-year-old man attacked people with knives fastened to both his hands at 1:40 p.m. while moving on an escalator between the second basement floor -- where a Homeplus supermarket is located -- and the second floor above ground, according to Namdong Police Station.
The man was subdued by shoppers and later apprehended by police officers, who were questioning him in custody.
Police officers are seen at a commercial building in Incheon, west of Seoul, on Oct. 13, 2026, after a man, believed to be in his 60s, went on a stabbing spree, injuring eight people. (Yonhap)
All eight victims were rushed to hospitals, including a woman in her 20s in cardiac arrest. The woman recovered from cardiac arrest after undergoing emergency surgery but has not regained consciousness.
Police plan to seek a warrant for the suspect's formal arrest Wednesday after questioning him about his motive.
The suspect was found to be carrying a large quantity of drugs and wearing an electronic ankle monitor for a previous conviction, police said.
He reportedly told police that he had taken drugs at the time of the attack.
The suspect had been ordered to wear an ankle monitor for 10 years, until February 2029, after serving a four-year prison term in 2019 for attempting to murder his former wife.
Police officers and rescue workers are seen at a commercial building in Incheon, west of Seoul, on Oct. 13, 2026, after a man, believed to be in his 60s, went on a stabbing spree, injuring eight people. (Yonhap)
Later in the day, President Lee Jae Myung visited the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency to receive a briefing on the incident and called for a thorough investigation, the presidential office said in a written briefing.
Lee ordered officials to come up with "special" measures against violent crimes that threaten the people's daily lives, according to Seong Ghi-hong, senior presidential secretary for public relations and communication.
Lee also called on officials to mobilize all resources to prevent violent crimes and swiftly respond to them, while ordering a thorough examination of the management system for those wearing ankle monitors.
The justice ministry apologized over the incident, saying that it will investigate the management of its electronic ankle monitor system.
"(We) deeply apologize for causing great concern to the public," the justice ministry said. "(We) will comprehensively reexamine the electronic monitoring and supervision system and swiftly come up with necessary improvements and supplementary measures."
Kim Jong-chul, acting chief of the National Police Agency, instructed police to conduct a swift and thorough investigation into the attack in a virtual meeting with police agency chiefs across the country.
He also ordered strengthened preventive measures against violent crimes by deploying sufficient police personnel in crowded public places.
This image from security camera footage provided by a reader shows the suspect of a stabbing spree that left eight people injured in a commercial complex in Incheon, just west of Seoul, on Oct. 13, 2026. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
President Lee Jae Myung (R) is briefed by police officials on a knife attack that injured eight people at a commercial complex in Incheon, just west of Seoul, at the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency on Oct. 13, 2026, in this photo provided by Cheong Wa Dae. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
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