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Posted by: Timmy on Jun 12, 2008 - 05:28 PM
Crime
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The man arrested over a stabbing rampage in Tokyo's Akihabara district that left seven people dead and 10 injured has told investigators that he gave advance notice of the attack online in the hope that police might stop him.
When questioned over the Sunday attack, the arrested 25-year-old, Tomohiro Kato, reportedly told police, "I thought that if I gave prior notice of the crime on the Net, someone may report it and police may stop me."
Internet users who saw the warning on the bulletin board of a mobile phone Web site sent about a dozen inquiries to the company operating the site, but because it was a Sunday and the company was closed, the inquiries went unnoticed and police were not alerted.
Kato reportedly told police that he had used the bulletin board as a diary. Police authorities said that the site was operated by an information providing company in Ritto, Shiga Prefecture. The company operated a site called "Kyukyoku Koryu Keijiban (Kai)," generally referred to as "Kyukai." Kato started a thread on Kyukai with the title, "I'm going to kill people in Akihabara."
On Sunday, messages he wrote on the bulletin board included:
"I'll drive a vehicle into people, and when I can't use the vehicle anymore, I'll use a knife. Goodbye everyone." (5:21 a.m.)
"It's time to go." (6:31 a.m.)
"I've arrived in Akihabara." (11:45 a.m.)
People who noticed the comments sent in e-mails and other messages to the operating company suggesting the situation was dangerous. However, the company was closed over the weekend and no one was there. It was not until Monday that workers noticed the postings.
When questioned by the Mainichi, a worker at the operating company said, "It's true that we operate the bulletin board, but the person in charge isn't here so we don't know that details."
In the wake of the fatal stabbing, the National Police Agency has asked four organizations including the Telecommunications Carriers Association to alert police immediately if they see postings such as those warning of murder or bomb threats. Police have also decided to improve Japan's Internet Hotline Center to form responses to threats that are received on holidays and at night.
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