A man dressed as a ninja and brandishing a sword reportedly attacked several special operations soldiers at a military airfield in the Mojave Desert earlier in September.
Stars and Stripes, a daily newspaper for the U.S. armed forces, reported Thursday that U.S. Army personnel training at the Inyokern Airport roughly 100 miles north of Los Angeles escaped the assailant by sheltering in an administrative building, with some receiving wounds requiring stitches.
The attack occurred shortly after 1 a.m. on Sept. 18. Details of the incident were initially posted to social media late on Wednesday. The posting included a portion of a redacted military incident report.
According to Stars and Stripes, a staff sergeant was taking a smoke break outside one of the airport hangars when he was approached by an unknown individual in "full ninja garb."
The ninja reportedly asked "Do you know who I am?" and "Do you know where my family is?" before attacking the soldier with a sword, "striking his phone and his knee and leg," the leaked document stated.
The sergeant retreated into an administrative building where he and another soldier called Ridgecrest police.
A call log kept by the Ridgecrest Police Department appeared to confirm details of the incident.
As they waited for law enforcement to arrive, the ninja reportedly kicked and punched at doors and windows to the building where the pair were "hunkered down." Unable to gain entry, individual threw a chunk of asphalt through one of its windows, according to the document.
One of the soldiers was reportedly struck by the asphalt.
The ninja fled the scene and was arrested elsewhere, according to the document. Both soldiers were treated for minor injuries and cleared for return to duty.
"We're pleased with the restraint shown by our people and for letting the authorities handle it," a U.S. Army spokesperson told Task & Purpose.
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