Kyoto - A man suspected of
torching an animation studio and killing 33 people in Japan's
worst mass killing in two decades had been convicted of robbery
and carried out the attack because he believed his novel had
been plagiarized, media said on Friday.
Public broadcaster NHK, which identified the 41-year-old man
as Shinji Aoba, citing police, said he served time in prison for
robbing a convenience store east of Tokyo in 2012 and, after his
release, lived in facilities for former convicts. He had also
received care for mental illness, NHK said.
The attack on Thursday in the ancient capital of Kyoto,
targeting the well known animation studio, Kyoto Animation,
killed 33 people and 10 were in critical condition, authorities
said.
It was the worst mass killing in a country with one of the
world's lowest crime rates since a suspected arson attack in
Tokyo killed 44 people in 2001.
Aoba wheeled a trolley carrying at least one bucket of
petrol to the entrance of the building before dousing the area,
shouting "die" and setting it ablaze on Thursday, broadcaster
Nippon TV said, citing police.
A woman prays to honour the victims of Thursday's fire at the Kyoto Animation Studio building, on Friday. Picture: Jae C. Hong/AP
"I did it," Aoba told police when he was detained, Kyodo
news said, adding that he had started the fire because he
believed the studio had stolen his novel.
Police declined to comment. Broadcaster Nippon TV said the
suspect was under anaesthesia because of burns he suffered and
police were unable to question him.
He "seemed to be discontented, he seemed to get angry,
shouting something about how he had been plagiarized", a woman
who saw him being detained told reporters.
"I imagine many of the people who died were in their
twenties," said 71-year-old Kozo Tsujii, fighting back tears
after laying flowers near the studio in the rain. He said he
drives by the studio on his daily commute.
"I'm just very, very sad that these people who are so much
younger than me passed away so prematurely," he said.
Tributes to the victims lit up social media, with world
leaders and Apple Inc's chief executive offering
condolences.
'I'LL KILL YOU'
Aoba, a resident of the Tokyo suburb of Saitama, some 480 km
(300 miles) east of the ancient capital of Kyoto, was believed
to have bought two 20-litre cans at a hardware store and
prepared the petrol in a park near the studio, Nippon TV said.
He travelled to the area by train, the broadcaster said.
NHK showed footage of him lying on his back as he spoke to a
police officer at the time of his detention, shoeless and with
apparent burns on his right leg below the knee.
He had no connection with Kyoto Animation, NHK said.
None of the victims' identities had been disclosed as of
Friday. There were 74 people inside the building when the fire
started, Kyodo said.
Last month, Aoba had a confrontation when he complained to a
neighbour about noise in the apartment building, the Mainichi
newspaper reported. When the neighbour said the noise was coming
from another apartment, Aoba grabbed the neighbour's shirt and
said: "Shut up, I'll kill you," the newspaper said.
BODIES PILED UP
The fire that tore through the building have spread so fast
not only because it was fuelled by petrol, but because it was
funnelled up a spiral staircase and there were no sprinklers to
douse it, experts said.
Nineteen of the 33 who died were found on a staircase
leading up to the roof from the third floor, bodies piled on top
of each other, Kyodo said, citing authorities.
Firefighters arriving soon after the fire began found the
door to the roof was shut but could be opened from the outside,
Kyodo said.
The victims may have rushed up the stairs to escape the
blaze and found themselves unable to open the door, it added.
The fire wasn't put out until early on Friday.
Police investigators searched the smouldering shell of the
building for evidence in an investigation that Kyodo said
covered suspected arson, murder and attempted murder.
Two petrol cans, a rucksack and a trolley were found near
the site, and television images showed what appeared to be five
long knives laid out by police as possible evidence outside the
three-storey building.
Kyoto Animation, in a quiet suburb about 20 minutes by train
from the centre of Kyoto, produces popular "anime" series such
as the "Sound! Euphonium".
Its "Free! Road to the World - The Dream" movie is due for
release this month.
"I love fighting games, all things about Japan," said Blake
Henderson, a 26-year-old Alabama native and fan of the anime
studio who had come to the scene of the blaze to pay his
respects.
"I love Japan so much and this one incident won't change my
entire perspective on Japan. But it still hurts."