2 Japanese Women Killed in Guam Knife Attack

Los Angeles, Feb. 12 (Jiji Press)--At least two Japanese women were killed in an attack by a knife-wielding man in a tourist district in the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam on Tuesday, local police and other sources said. Around 10 p.m. (12 p.m. GMT), the man crashed his car into a store in the Tumon district, and then got out of the vehicle and began stabbing people around him, the sources said. Twelve other Japanese were injured in the rampage, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said, adding that 10 of them remain hospitalized, including one who is receiving intensive care. According to local fire authorities, the two Japanese women confirmed dead were 28 years old and 82 years old. The police identified them as Rie Sugiyama and Kazuko Uehara. They were visiting Guam on a tour arranged by Rakuten Travel Inc., a subsidiary of Japanese online shopping mall operator Rakuten Inc. <4755>, according to an announcement from Rakuten in Tokyo. Japanese travel agency H.I.S. Co. <9603> said in Tokyo that eight of its customers were taken to a hospital after the incident. Of them, two have left the hospital, while the other six remain hospitalized, including one who suffered a bone fracture. The local police announced that Chad Ryan DeSoto, a 21-year-old local resident with U.S. nationality has been arrested as the suspect for the attack. In the busy district, where duty-free shops, restaurants and hotels are located, the man drove his car into pedestrians on a sidewalk before crashing into the store, sources said, adding that he seemed stabbing bystanders indiscriminately. Guam Governor Eddie Calvo said in a statement that police and emergency personnel responded quickly to the incident and arrested the suspect immediately. "This was an isolated incident...something that just doesn't happen in our community," Calvo said. Guam is a popular travel destination for Japanese, and Japanese tourists, along with the U.S. military, are a key driving force for the local economy. According to the Guam Visitors Bureau, Japanese accounted for more than 70 pct of all tourists to the island in fiscal 2011. "Guam values its long-term relationship with the Japanese people and we promise you that we are committed to ensuring the safety of all visitors to Guam," the governor said. He promised to increase police presence throughout the visitor district. END