Kyoto Animation fire: Suspect behind arson attack that killed 33 ‘believed studio had stolen his idea for novel’

Man named Shinji Aoba thought to have started fatal fire, Japan’s public broadcaster says

The man suspected of starting a fire that killed 33 people at a Japanese animation studio believed it had stolen his idea for a novel, according to local media.

According to investigative sources, the suspect said he set the Kyoto Animation Company building on fire because it “stole a novel”.

The person thought to be behind the attack was identified as Shinji Aoba by Japan’s public broadcaster NHK on Friday.

At about 10.30am local time on Thursday, a man reportedly shouting “die” burst into the three-storey studio before dousing the entrance with what appeared to be petrol and setting it ablaze.

The explosive blaze killed 33 people and 10 more were in a critical condition late on Thursday, according to officials.

There were 74 people inside the building when the fire started. None of the victims’ identities have yet been disclosed.

It marks the country’s worst mass killing since a suspected arson attack in Tokyo killed 44 people in 2001.

The suspected attacker, thought to be from the Tokyo suburb of Saitama, 300 miles east of Kyoto, is believed to have bought two 20-litre fuel cans and prepared the petrol in a park near the studio, Nippon TV said, citing police.

The broadcaster said the man, who was taken to hospital, was under anaesthesia after burning himself and police were unable to question him.

A woman who witnessed the suspect being detained told reporters he “seemed to be discontented, he seemed to get angry, shouting something about how he had been plagiarised”.

On Friday, a Kyoto Fire Department official said the Kyoto Animation building did not have any sprinklers or indoor hydrants installed since they were not legally required by the fire code.

The official said that, since it was classified as an “office”, the building was not required to have such equipment.

An October inspection of the building found that fire extinguishers and emergency alarms were installed as required.

A woman prays at a makeshift memorial for victims of a suspected arson attack at the Kyoto Animation Company studio building, in Kyoto, Japan, 19 July 2019 (AP)

Anime fans gathered at the edge of the police cordon surrounding the charred building on Friday to lay flowers and offer prayers for the victims of the attack.

Fighting back tears as he lay flowers in the rain, 71-year-old Kozo Tsujii said: “I imagine many of the people who died were in their 20s.

“I’m just very, very sad that these people who are so much younger than me passed away so prematurely.”

Anime fan Yuichi Kumami, 27, who had taken time off work to lay flowers at the site, said: “It’s hard to put into words how I feel.

“They may not be able to produce the same kind of works again and it was my hope that there would be more memorable works in the future, but that may be impossible now and that is very saddening.”

Kyoto Animation, also known as KyoAni, was founded in 1981 as an animation and comic book production studio.

The company does work on films and TV productions, but is best known for its mega-hit stories featuring high school girls.

The tales are so popular that fans make pilgrimages to some of the places depicted.

Speaking after the fire on Thursday, company president Hideaki Hatta: “My heart is in extreme pain. Why on earth did such violence have to be used?”

Reuters contributed to this report