Stabbing stuns crowd in ‘world’s safest city’

Police investigators work at the scene of a stabbing incident at Raffles Place, in the central business district in Singapore. Picture: Edgar Su

Police investigators work at the scene of a stabbing incident at Raffles Place, in the central business district in Singapore. Picture: Edgar Su

Published Nov 14, 2014

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Singapore -

A man was stabbed on Friday in Singapore's banking district, shocking a lunchtime crowd in one of the world's safest cities.

Police had no immediate statement on the incident involving two ethnic Chinese men at Raffles Place.

Pictures of expatriates and Singaporeans attending to the bleeding victim were widely circulated on social media.

Singapore's Straits Times newspaper reported that the two middle-aged men were seen arguing outside a metro station shortly before 1pm (05.00 GMT).

One of the men pulled out a knife and stabbed the other on his waist, buttocks and left hand, the daily said on its website.

Despite his injuries, the victim chased the attacker, who was subdued by bystanders before police arrived to arrest him.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force told local media the two men were sent to the nearby Singapore General Hospital after the incident but did not provide further details.

“Stabbing at #rafflesplace, and my friend pulled them apart... Not in #Singapore, surely?!” wrote Harriet Jenkins on Twitter.

Some praised bystanders who tried to stop the attacker and subsequently swooped in to help the bleeding victim.

“Isn't it wonderful to read that folks of different nationalities stepped up to break the fight and also helped to pin down the attacker,” wrote Douglas Chow on the Straits Times website.

Singapore, a leading Asian financial hub, is known for its tough stance on crime.

It retains the death penalty as punishment for serious offences while judicial caning can be imposed for some crimes including robbery and rape.

Its overall crime rate fell to a 30-year-low in 2013, with 549 criminal cases per 100 000 people compared with 584 cases in 2012, according to official data. - Sapa-AFP

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