“Gunner in his 80s” takes several people hostage in a Japanese post office

A suspected gunman has taken hostages at a post office in Japan after a possible shooting at a nearby hospital.

Armored police surrounded the three-storey building in the town of Warabi after the gunman took at least two people hostage.

Authorities in the city of Warabi in southeastern Japan said today: “Around 2:15 p.m. today.” [local time]”A person took hostages and barricaded himself in a post office in the Chuo 5-chome area of ​​Warabi City… The perpetrator has a weapon.”

The shooter, who has not yet been named, is believed to be possibly in his 80s and was wearing a baseball cap and white shirt under a dark jacket. There was apparently a weapon attached to a cord around his neck.

Local media reported that at least two postal workers between the ages of 20 and 30 were taken hostage. A Japanese newspaper reported that the shooter may have had up to ten people with him.

Police were still surrounding the building as night fell in the town of Warabi, hours after at least two people were taken hostage by an unnamed gunman.

Several police officers carrying heavy body armor and shields were seen outside the post office in the town of Warabi

The barge may also carry paraffin or kerosene, which can quickly start large fires.

The hostage crisis came shortly after two people were injured in a shooting at a hospital just a kilometer away. The two incidents are apparently related.

A doctor in his 40s and a patient in his 60s suffered minor injuries after shots were reportedly fired from the street into a room on the ground floor of a general hospital.

“After 1:00 p.m. I heard a woman shouting: ‘Somebody please,’ and a nurse told me: ‘Stay away from the windows and keep your head down,'” said a man in his 60s at the hospital, broadcaster NHK said.

“Around 2:00 p.m., I looked in the consulting room and saw a pool of blood next to an examination table. I didn’t hear a shot. But a nurse said she heard two shots,” the man added.

The hostage crisis is believed to be related to a shooting at a nearby hospital

It is not known exactly how many were taken hostage. So far, two people have been confirmed to have been arrested, but Japanese media have reported that up to ten people may be inside the building

None of the victims’ injuries were life-threatening and both are believed to be conscious.

The shooter apparently fled on a motorcycle.

Violent crime, especially incidents involving firearms, is rare in Japan, but concerns about homemade weapons have increased in recent years.

According to the National Police Agency, there were only nine shooting incidents last year, six of which were linked to criminal gangs.

These incidents led to four deaths, including the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe by a man with a homemade weapon during a campaign rally in July 2022.

In April, a man was arrested for allegedly throwing an explosive device at Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during his election campaign in the city of Wakayama. Kishida was unhurt.

The following month, a man barricaded himself in a building after allegedly killing four people, including two police officers and an elderly woman, in a gun and knife attack.

Masanori Aoki, 31, was arrested at his home near the town of Nakano, police said at the time.