ASAGIRI, Kumamoto -- A Vietnamese man was arrested on July 16 under suspicion of robbing and attempting to murder a woman here, it has been learned.

The man, identified as 23-year-old Nguyen Ngoc Doan, who has come to Japan as a foreign technical intern, is alleged to have stabbed the woman, 27, in the back, neck and other parts in a grassy area in the town of Asagiri at around 2 a.m. on July 15, leaving her with serious injuries.

It is thought that the woman called out to the suspect, who was lying on the road next to a bicycle in the town's Sue district. After that, the man reportedly dragged her toward a grassy area, stabbed her with a knife several times, and also stole her cell phone.

On July 15, a construction company in Asagiri where the man had been participating in a technical training program contacted Taragi Police Station -- which carried out the arrest -- stating, "We have not known his (the suspect's) whereabouts since July 14."

The man was found at Fukuoka Airport on July 16. Police say the suspect has remained silent, only stating, "I have nothing to say."