Police have sought an arrest warrant for a man in his 50s who went on a stabbing rampage at a large commercial complex in Incheon.
The Namdong Police Station in Incheon said on the 14th that it had requested an arrest warrant for the man, identified only as A, on charges of attempted murder and carrying a weapon in a public place.
A is accused of attacking 10 visitors with knives at around 1:48 p.m. on the 13th at see&see, a large commercial complex in Guwol-dong, Namdong-gu, Incheon, that houses a hypermarket and a movie theater.
Among the victims, a 19-year-old woman was taken to a hospital in cardiac arrest and regained a heartbeat after emergency surgery but has not regained consciousness. She is being treated in an intensive care unit on a ventilator.
Five other victims are receiving inpatient treatment, while two with less serious injuries are being treated as outpatients. The remaining two were not injured.
A, who has two prior records related to attempted murder, was also booked last month on suspicion of carrying a weapon in a public place and was questioned on the 6th of this month at the Gyeyang Police Station in Incheon.
In questioning, A said he had grievances against a hospital where he had received treatment and resented being investigated by police after the hospital reported him, according to police. He said he committed the attack to create a news story in order to publicize his complaints and draw attention to them.
A claimed he had no intention to kill. Police applied the attempted murder charge after considering factors including that he carried out the attack holding knives in both hands secured with tape, as well as the parts of the victims' bodies he stabbed.
A hearing to review the arrest warrant is scheduled to be held at the Incheon District Court on the 15th or 16th.