Man rams into barricade outside Israeli Embassy in Tokyo

The alleged motive and whether the embassy was targeted are not known.

By The Associated Press

Police in Japan said Thursday they arrested a driver after a vehicle crashed into a temporary barricade near the Israeli Embassy in Tokyo, injuring one police officer.

Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department said they arrested a 53-year-old man on suspicion of obstructing official duties. The man was unemployed and a member of a right-wing group, police said.

Tokyo police said the suspect suddenly drove into the street where police officers were on duty at the barricade set up to secure the Israeli Embassy, injuring an officer in his 20s. His injury was not life-threatening, police said. Media reports said he had a hand injury.

The alleged motive and whether the embassy was targeted are not known. Demonstrators often gather to protest Israel’s operation in Gaza, and the street near the embassy has been barricaded by Japanese police.

Photographs and video footage showed a black compact vehicle crashed into a guardrail by the sidewalk, with debris scattered on the street. The crash site is near an intersection about 100 meters (yards) from the embassy and in an area with many offices and restaurants.

The Kyodo News agency reported that the suspect admitted to police he rammed into the barricade, and that he was sorry that the police officer was injured.