Man killed, 10 hurt in factory rampage

HIROSHIMA--A disgruntled seasonal worker who had worked at a Mazda Motor Corp. assembly plant in this western Japan city drove his car into a crowd in and around the factory Tuesday morning, killing one man and injuring 10 others, police said.

Toshiaki Hikiji, 42, a former temporary worker at Mazda's main plant in Hiroshima's Minami Ward, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and violating the swords and firearms control law. He carried a kitchen knife with an 18-centimeter blade in his car during the attack.

According to police and eyewitnesses, Hikiji drove his blue Mazda Familia passenger car into two employees near the entrance of the Mazda plant and then broke past guards at the gate and into the plant around 7:35 a.m.

In all, Hikiji ran down 11 men aged 19 to 50.

Hiroshi Hamada, a 39-year-old Mazda employee, was later pronounced dead. Two others have serious injuries.

Police quoted Hikiji as saying that he held a grudge over being fired about two months ago.

However, Mazda officials told a news conference that Hikiji started working in April at the factory as a temporary worker on a six-month contract but quit of his own volition after only working eight days.