Man dressed as Joker injures up to '17 people' and sets train carriage on fire, reports say

A man dressed as the Joker has reportedly injured up to 17 people after attacking passengers on a train carriage in Tokyo and setting it on fire.

As reported by Reuters, the 24-year-old man was dressed as the Batman villain injured 17 people as people headed into the city center for Halloween festivities. The attack occurred on the Keio express line bound for Shinjuku at roughly 8:00PM local time on Sunday, October 31.

Local media has reported that the man was arrested by police on the spot.

One video of the incident shows passengers running down the carriage as a blaze engulfs the back of the train. One witness has reportedly claimed that the attacker doused the carriage in a fluid prior to starting the fire.

Reuters reports that one man in his 60s was left unconscious and in critical condition after being stabbed by the attacker.

Another video of the incident shows people attempting to flee out of the train's windows after it came to an emergency stop at the platform.

One witness told the local Yomiuri newspaper: "I thought it was a Halloween stunt... Then, I saw a man walking this way, slowly waving a long knife."

Reuters adds that a man believed to be the suspect was seen dressed in the Joker's purple suit and smoking a cigarette prior to being arrested by law enforcement.

Featured image credit: MAHATHIR MOHD YASIN / Alamy