Man fatally stabs 2 women in Hong Kong mall, plunging his knife 25 times into one of them

The suspect repeatedly stabbed one of his victims in an attack that went on for nearly a minute. PHOTO: SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST

Two women were fatally stabbed in a Hong Kong mall on Friday, in what appeared to be a random knife rampage.

The attacker was eventually subdued and arrested, according to the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

The incident was captured on video by a security camera at the Plaza Hollywood mall in Diamond Hill.

It shows the man going up to the women from behind shortly after 5pm local time.

In the clip, he repeatedly stabs one of them in an attack that goes on for nearly a minute, SCMP said.

The second woman attempts to intervene several times, but is also attacked.

Police said the women were aged 22 and 26.

They were unconscious when taken to hospital, and later succumbed to their injuries.

One of the women was stabbed more than 25 times.

A preliminary investigation found “no concrete evidence” to suggest the two women knew the attacker, the police said.

A saleswoman at the mall said the assailant stood beside the two victims as mall medical workers arrived at the scene to provide first aid.

“There was no sign the medics knew the assailant was next to them,” the saleswoman said, adding that staff were still “clueless about what had happened” when the mall notified shops to close.

The police said they arrived at the scene about four minutes after receiving reports of the incident.

Footage that has since circulated online shows the 39-year-old attacker buying a knife from a shop about 10 minutes before his rampage.

Another video clip shows a team of police officers, armed with shields and pepper spray, approaching the man. They order him to drop the 15cm knife.

The officers eventually rush at him, drag him to the floor and handcuff him.

The attacker was taken to a police station for questioning.

The suspect was a jobless man with a history of mental illness, the authorities said, adding that he regularly required check-ups with a doctor.

The authorities have classified the case as murder.

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