South Korea shopping centre stabbing leaves 8 injured

An 59-year-old man attacked at least eight individuals at a shopping center in Incheon, South Korea, on Tuesday, resulting in eight injuries, according to police and fire officials. One victim required life-saving surgery and was in critical condition. The suspect targeted shoppers as he moved throughout the shopping center before the store owners and bystanders restrained him.

He had a history of violent offenses and mental illness, necessitating the use of an electronic monitoring device. The attacker was armed with knives tied to both hands and stabbed victims in various areas of the shopping center while navigating escalators. Nah Hyun-joon, who helped subdue the attacker, recounted seeing the man stab four people in the second-floor food court before ascending to the third floor, where he inflicted injuries on at least one woman.

The attacker then proceeded towards a cinema on the fourth floor but was halted by individuals holding chairs at the top of the escalator. Nah and others managed to restrain the assailant near the third-floor entrance, pushing him down with chairs and removing his knives before police arrived. The injured were transported to nearby hospitals, with one woman requiring surgery after arriving in cardiac arrest.

The suspect previously served four years in prison for attempted murder in 2015 and was under electronic monitoring since 2019. He had no further offenses while under supervision. The suspect was arrested last month on suspicion of carrying a weapon after puncturing a protest sign outside a hospital. He was undergoing treatment for alcohol dependence and mental illnesses at the time of the attack.

The attacker attended a counseling session and met with his probation officer earlier in the day, taking his medication and having lunch. Authorities confirmed that the monitoring device had not been tampered with. The Ministry of Justice expressed sincere apologies for the public concern caused by the incident and promised to review the supervision of the suspect and broader electronic monitoring procedures.