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A car struck a barricade near the Israeli Embassy in Tokyo. Police reportedly arrested the driver

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Police officers exam a car, rear, which crashed into a temporary barricade near the Israeli Embassy in Tokyo Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023. Police arrested the driver, according to reports. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

TOKYO (AP) — A vehicle crashed into a temporary barricade near the Israeli Embassy in Tokyo on Thursday, and reports say police arrested the driver.

The alleged motive and whether the embassy was targeted are not known. Protestors often gather against Israel’s attacks on Gaza, 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 reported.

An ambulance was dispatched to a nearby location when an emergency call reported one person was injured, the Tokyo Fire Department said. 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.

The Associated Press


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