WASHINGTON: A student yesterday killed a burglar with a samurai sword, slicing off his left hand and severely cutting his neck after he spotted the intruder in his garage, police said.

The undergraduate medical student at Baltimore’s prestigious Johns Hopkins University was being questioned by police but he may not be charged if found to be acting in self-defence. Samurai swords are legal in the United States.

Police received a call for help at 1:20 am (0520 GMT) after the burglar pried open a side-door into the garage of the house, which four students rented off the campus, Baltimore police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said.

“They asked him to stop and while they called police, the suspect lunged at the student. He then retaliated by striking him with a samurai sword, severed his left hand and gave severe lacerations to the upper torso,” he said.

The burglar, who was in his late 40s, had a history of burglaries and had just been released from prison on Saturday, he said.

The student, whose name was not released, had recently reported a burglary in which thieves reportedly took laptop computers and a Sony PlayStation video-game machine.

The United States, where the right to bear arms is constitutionally protected, has few restrictions on owning swords although some local jurisdictions limit the right to brandish them in public.

“I think everyone has the right to first of all defend themselves and defend their home and if this individual felt that a samurai sword was an appropriate tool to use, I’m not in a position to say that’s good or bad,” Guglielmi said. — AFP