Car hits barricade near the Israeli Embassy in Tokyo; driver said arrested

Police officers examine a car, rear, which crashed into a temporary barricade near the Israeli Embassy in Tokyo, November 16, 2023. (Eugene Hoshiko/AP)
Police officers examine a car, rear, which crashed into a temporary barricade near the Israeli Embassy in Tokyo, November 16, 2023. (Eugene Hoshiko/AP)

A vehicle crashed into a temporary barricade near the Israeli Embassy in Tokyo, and reports say police arrested the driver.

The motive and whether the embassy was targeted is not yet known. Protestors often gather to demonstrate against Israel’swar with Hamas, and the street near the embassy has been barricaded by Japanese police.

Police refused to confirm the media reports.

A man in his 50s believed to be a member of a right-wing group was arrested at the scene on suspicion of obstructing official duties, public broadcaster NHK and other media reports.

An ambulance was dispatched to a nearby location when an emergency call reported one person was injured, the Tokyo Fire Department says. One police officer had a hand injury, the media reports said.

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, NHK said.

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