Arrests made in
attacks on gays in Tokyo

Several teenagers suspected in a series of attacks on gay men in Tokyo have been arrested, Agence France-Presse reports. The teenagers--three high school boys and one unemployed youth--believed that gay men were wealthy and were unlikely to report the crimes to authorities, a police spokesman told AFP.

The boys allegedly injured a 34-year-old gay man earlier this month in Yumenoshima, a reclaimed waterfront area known as a gay hangout, robbing him of $180. "The suspects also punched and kicked a 56-year-old gay man on the same day near the site," the spokesman said, adding that police were investigating similar crimes reported near the spot.

One of the suspects was quoted by the spokesman as saying, "We thought gays were unlikely to report things to the police even if they fall victim."