Kyoto police update list of charges while suspect remains in hospital for burns suffered in attack on Fushimi anime studio.
Immediately following the July arson attack on Kyoto Animation’s Fushimi anime studio, police officers took suspect Shinji Aoba into custody. As he was restrained, Aoba was heard to say “They stole my novel” and “I spread the gasoline, and lit it with a lighter.”
Nearly a month after the attack, though, Aoba is yet to be formally arrested. Having suffered severe burns in the incident, Aoba was immediately hospitalized, and is yet to be released.
However, as Aoba continues to receive medical treatment, the severity of the crimes he’s accused of have been growing. Some victims who were still alive directly following the attack have since succumbed to their injuries, and so on August 14, the Kyoto Prefectural Police Department updated its arrest warrant for Aoba. The 41-year-old, who traveled from his home in Saitama City to Kyoto, is now accused of 35 counts of murder as well as 35 additional counts of attempted murder, representing the 35 people who were in the building who managed to escape with their lives. Eight survivors remain hospitalized, and police investigators say that only one person who was inside the studio managed to avoid injury of any kind. The arrest warrant also accuses Aoba of arson of an inhabited structure, as well as a number of other criminal offenses.
While the warrant has been updated, it’s still unclear when the authorities will feel Aoba is in suitable condition to be formally arrested.
Source: Kyodo via Yahoo! Japan News
Top image: Wikipedia/MikeHattsu
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