Incheon stabbing leaves one in cardiac arrest, 7 hurt

A man wearing an electronic ankle monitor was arrested after a stabbing attack at a supermarket in Incheon, South Korea, on Tuesday that left one woman in her twenties in cardiac arrest and seven other people injured, an Incheon Fire Department official said.

South Korea's Newsis news agency reported that CCTV footage showed the man running through a room with weapons strapped to both hands and that more than 10 knives were found in his bag.

Witness accounts in Korean media said staff and customers apprehended the attacker using trays and chairs to defend themselves.

Authorities said the alleged assailant, a man in his fifties, had served a four-year prison sentence for attempted murder after repeatedly stabbing his ex-wife in 2015 when she refused to reconcile with him. He was later ordered to wear an electronic ankle monitor for 10 years and barred from leaving home between midnight and 6:00 am.

The justice ministry apologised for the attack and said it was investigating the circumstances of the incident and the electronic monitoring and supervision process. It said the man had been receiving treatment for alcohol addiction and psychological counselling and had recently been booked on suspicion of possessing a weapon.

President Lee Jae Myung was briefed on the attack and visited the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency. His office said he ordered a review of the management and supervision system for people wearing electronic ankle monitors and called for measures to prevent similar incidents.