‘Suspect in anime studio planned killing’
KYOTO (Reuters) — A man suspected of torching an animation studio in western Japan shouted that he had been plagiarized and appeared to have planned the attack, media said yesterday after a blaze that killed 33 people in Japan’s worst mass killing in two decades.
The 41-year-old man “seemed to be discontented, he seemed to get angry, shouting something about how he had been plagiarized,” a woman who saw the suspect being detained told reporters.
The unidentified man shouted “Die!” before dousing the entrance to Kyoto Animation headquarters with what appeared to be petrol and setting it ablaze around 10:30 a.m. local time on Thursday, media reported.
The blaze killed 33 people and another 10 people were in critical condition, the authorities said late on Thursday, in Japan’s worst mass killing since a suspected arson attack in Tokyo killed 44 people in 2001.
Police searched through the smoldering shell of the building for clues yesterday.
A man resembling the suspect went to a petrol station on Thursday with two 20-liter cans, Japanese media said.
Two cans, a rucksack and a trolley were found near the site, and television footage showed what appeared to be five long knives laid out on the ground outside the three-story building.
The suspect had no connection with Kyoto Animation and his driver’s licence listed an address in Saitama, a northern suburb of Tokyo, public broadcaster NHK said.
Little else was known about the man, who is under police supervision with serious burns to the face and legs, media reports said.
NHK showed footage of what it said appeared to be the suspect lying on his back on the ground as he spoke to a police officer, shoeless and with what appeared to be burns on his right leg below the knee.
Kyoto Animation, located in a quiet suburb about 20 minutes by train from the center of Japan’s ancient capital, produces popular “anime” series such as the “Sound! Euphonium.”
“It’s Free! Road To The World — The Dream” movie is due for release this month.