Man in electronic tag stabs 8 at S Korea mall

A 59-year-old man wearing an electronic ankle tag stabbed eight people at a large shopping mall in Incheon, South Korea, on Tuesday, with bystanders using chairs and trays to subdue him and prevent further casualties.

The attack occurred around 1.40pm at a commercial complex in Guwol-dong, Namdong district, which houses a Homeplus supermarket. Police said the suspect roamed from the second basement floor to the second floor, riding escalators and swinging a knife at passers-by.

Witnesses described the man in a blue top with knives apparently bound to both hands. CCTV showed people fleeing along corridors and a shop worker closing the door just seconds before the suspect walked past, escaping harm.

The suspect then entered the food court, where CCTV showed staff at a cashier scattering as someone fell. Witnesses said customers queuing for food were stabbed from behind, and some initially thought it was just a fight until they saw a Homeplus employee bleeding.

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Amid the chaos, several customers grabbed chairs and trays to block the suspect. One man who helped subdue him said the suspect had stabbed multiple people at the second-floor food court before going up to the third floor and attempting to reach the multiplex cinema on the fourth floor.

People arranged chairs at the escalator exit to form a makeshift barricade, trapping the suspect near the third-floor entrance. Several customers pinned him down with chairs and seized the knife until police arrived.

Police said the eight injured comprised six women and two men aged from their 20s to 50s, some stabbed in the back. A woman in her 20s was in cardiac arrest when taken to hospital and underwent emergency surgery; she reportedly survived but remains in critical condition.

The suspect was carrying a large amount of medication and reportedly told police he had taken drugs before the attack. Police are investigating on suspicion of attempted murder and clarifying the medication, his mental state and motive. There is no evidence linking the case to terrorism.

The case drew attention because the suspect was under electronic monitoring and had met his parole officer shortly before the attack. The Justice Ministry said he attended an alcohol counselling session from 10am to 11am, met his parole officer around 11.20am who confirmed he had taken his medication, and had lunch with the officer until about 12.30pm. About an hour later, he attacked people at the mall.

The electronic tag's real-time location system tracked his position but did not trigger an alert because the device was not damaged and he had not entered a restricted area. The case highlighted that electronic monitoring can only track movement and may not predict or prevent sudden violence.

Yonhap reported the suspect was sentenced to four years in prison in 2015 for attempting to kill his ex-wife and was ordered to wear an electronic tag for 10 years after his release in 2019, until February 2029. He also received regular psychiatric treatment and counselling for alcohol and mental health issues.

The Justice Ministry said the suspect had not damaged the device or breached monitoring conditions since wearing it. However, last month he was investigated by police on a weapons possession case for allegedly stabbing a protester's banner outside a hospital.

The Justice Ministry apologised publicly, acknowledging the monitoring system failed to prevent the attack, and pledged a detailed investigation into his supervision, treatment and risk assessment, and a review of electronic monitoring and parole management.

President Lee Jae-myung, visiting an Incheon police agency, demanded a swift and thorough investigation and wished the injured a speedy recovery. Police will seek to detain the suspect and investigate whether he prepared weapons in advance and whether medication affected his behaviour.

𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓