Chinese student arrested over May pepper spray attack in Tokyo

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese police on Thursday announced the arrest of a Chinese national suspected of carrying out a pepper spray attack earlier this year in an upscale Tokyo shopping district that left dozens of people with eye and throat irritation.

Tokyo police said they made the arrest Wednesday. The suspect is a 24-year-old Chinese student who lives in Osaka. Police believe he used pepper spray on a man in his 30s at an ATM booth in a luxury shopping complex in Ginza in May.

Nearly 30 people complained of throat pain and feeling unwell. Police said 25 were taken to a hospital with mild symptoms. The attack briefly caused chaos in the area where dozens of fire engines and ambulances gathered to provide first aid.

The man targeted in the attack told police he did not know the suspect, according to Japanese media.

The suspect has told police he did not want to talk about the incident, Kyodo News agency reported.

Police are also looking for another man seen in security camera footage talking with the suspect just before the attack and then fleeing, according to the Asahi newspaper.