Revenge may have been motive for Kyoto anime arson

JAPAN’S anime industry yesterday mourned the deaths of 33 of the “brightest and best young talents” in an arson attack, as the suspect allegedly told police that the studio had “stolen a novel” he had written.

Police confirmed that a 41-year-old man entered the offices of Kyoto Animation – better known as Kyoani – at around 10.30am on Thursday and emptied the contents of two canisters of a flammable liquid around the groundfloor lobby.

The suspect was allegedly heard to shout “Die” before using a lighter to start the blaze.

He was yesterday named by police as Shinji Aoba, and said to be recovering from burns in hospital before he could be formally interviewed. NHK, the public broadcaster, reported that Aoba had a criminal record and had been in prison for robbing a convenience store.

Around 70 office staff and artists were in the building at the time of the attack. Authorities reported yesterday that Aoba had claimed he started the fire because the company had stolen his idea for a story.