A luxury shopping mall in one of Tokyo’s most famous districts turned into a hazmat scene Monday after police say a man sprayed a mystery substance near an ATM, leaving around 20 people injured.
The frightening incident happened inside a shopping complex in Ginza, an upscale area of central Tokyo known for designer stores, tourists, and busy foot traffic.
Tokyo police spokesman Yusuke Koide said a man sprayed a substance at an ATM on the ground floor of the building.
A local fire department official said emergency crews responded after reports of a strange “smell” inside the mall. Around 20 people were injured, officials said.
The scene quickly became chaotic.
The road in front of the mall was blocked off as fire trucks lined the street. Firefighters and officials in hazmat suits were seen bringing people out of the mall and into specialized trucks to be examined.
An AFP reporter at the scene saw two people being placed on stretchers and loaded into an ambulance.
“As of now, 19 people have been transported to a hospital,” fire department official Ryosuke Kobayashi told reporters.
Public broadcaster NHK reported that the injuries appeared to be minor.
The substance is believed to have contained capsaicin, the irritating chemical found in chili peppers, according to unidentified investigative sources cited by NHK.
One 70-year-old woman who was at the mall told NHK that her throat began stinging and hurting as she got close to the ATM area.
“By the time I arrived, the commotion had already started, and I thought there might have been a small fire or something,” she said.
But when she got closer, the irritation became obvious.
“Once I went into the ATM corner, my throat felt scratchy, almost numb,” she said.
Despite the emergency response, shoppers were still seen coming and going from the building through side entrances while the main road remained blocked.
Police are investigating what caused the incident and who was responsible.
Violent crime is relatively rare in Japan, a country known for its low murder rate and strict gun laws. Still, the country has seen shocking attacks before, including stabbings, shootings, and chemical-related incidents.
Japan was forever changed by the 1995 Tokyo subway sarin attack, when members of the Aum Shinrikyo cult released nerve gas on commuter trains. Fourteen people were killed and more than 5,800 were sickened.
The country was also shaken in 2022 by the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
More recently, 14 people were injured in a stabbing attack at a factory in central Japan last December, where an unspecified liquid was also reportedly sprayed.
Monday’s mall incident is still under investigation, but the images from Ginza were alarming: blocked streets, hazmat suits, stretchers, ambulances, and shoppers being checked after a strange spray left nearly two dozen people hurt.
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