Fatal knife attack in Kitakyushu McDonald’s took less than 30 seconds

The assailant who fatally stabbed a junior high school girl and injured another student in a McDonald’s restaurant in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture, on Saturday was inside the fast-food store for less than 30 seconds, police said.

At around 8 p.m. on Saturday, 15-year-old Saaya Nakashima and a male student, also 15, entered the McDonald’s together on their way home after attending a cram school session. They secured a table and joined the line at the counter to place their order.

Surveillance footage shows that shortly after 8:25 p.m., a man armed with a knife entered the McDonald’s through an entrance facing a national highway. Without saying a word, he walked straight to the two teens, who were at the end of the line, and stabbed each of them once. He then fled through the same doorway and headed north.

The two students were rushed to the hospital. Nakashima suffered a deep stab wound to her abdomen and died from blood loss about 90 minutes later. The other student, who was stabbed in the back, survived and is not in a life-threatening condition.

“I have no idea who stabbed me,” the boy told investigators.

Surveillance footage revealed that the attacker spent less than 30 seconds inside the restaurant. The lack of defensive wounds on either victim suggests the attack happened so quickly that the students were unable to react, according to police.

Authorities are analyzing security camera footage from the area as they continue their search for the suspect.

The incident has left the local community shaken, with fears for children’s safety mounting as the assailant remains unidentified and at large.

The PTA president of the junior high school Nakashima and the injured boy attended expressed both sorrow and urgency. “My daughter is also a third-year student and knew Nakashima,” the man said.

“We need to prioritize the care of the children and quickly decide on specific measures,” he added before hurrying to the school for a meeting.

Residents near the restaurant shared similar fears. A 72-year-old office worker said the news hit close to home.

“My daughter was at that restaurant just yesterday during lunch. I was shocked,” she said on Sunday.

Extracurricular activities at the school have been canceled following the attack. “Sundays are usually lively with students around here. I hope they catch the suspect soon,” she added.

In front of the McDonald’s, community members paying their respects left flowers and offerings. One man, who brought bottled drinks after hearing the news on television, called the attack “heartbreaking.”

The suspect, still at large, is described by police as approximately 40 years old and 170 centimeters tall, wearing a gray jacket, black pants and yellowish footwear. He is believed to have fled with the weapon.