Shinji Aoba Bio

Shinji Aoba is identified as the suspect of Firestarter in the Kyoto Animation Studio Arson. suspected arsonist behind the deadly fire at Kyoto animation studio in Japan was identified Friday as 41-year-old, who served time in prison for robbery and had been treated for mental health issues.

Shinji Aoba ???

Never come back ??#青葉真司 Disappear forever

Since u caused this arson attack ???

Over stolen novel? What the heck did u even Write? Nobody freakin knew you. You are irrelevant. #PrayForKyoaniが世界に拡散 #prayforkyoani pic.twitter.com/lrinLi4F9n

— 『 Josh ᵁᵂᵁa 』 (@LavadomJosh) July 19, 2019



Aoba, a resident of the Tokyo suburb of Saitama, some 300 miles east of the ancient capital of Kyoto, was believed to have bought two four-gallon petrol cans at a hardware store and prepared the petrol in a park near the studio, Nippon TV said.

Shinji Aoba Age

He is 41 years old,

Shinji Aoba Arrested

‘I did it,’ the 41-year-old 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.

Update on the Kyoto Animation attack: the murderer has been named: Shinji Aoba, 41, of Saitama Prefecture. His motive has also been revealed: he claims KyoAni plagiarized his idea for a novel. Another victim has died, the death toll is now 34. https://t.co/08kZcMrKcB — Niche Gamer (@nichegamer) July 19, 2019



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.

Shinji Aoba Criminal History

The suspect, Shinji Aoba, was swiftly taken into custody. He was jailed for robbery seven years ago and has a history of mental illness.

“Much was still unknown about the Thursday fire, which appeared to be Japan’s worst mass killing in decades. The police identified Shinji Aoba, 41, as a suspect in the case, based on statements they said he made when he was apprehended.” https://t.co/qComtmgYkJ via @NYTimes — Christina Ayiotis (@christinayiotis) July 19, 2019



Aoba was reported to have suffered from a mental illness and have a criminal history prior to the incident. In 2012, he reportedly robbed a convenience store with a knife in Ibaraki and was subsequently jailed for 3.5 years

The fire began with an explosion at around 10:30 a.m. when the perpetrator walked into Studio 1 and set the building on fire with 40 litres (8.8 imp gal; 11 US gal) of gasoline. The gasoline was carried on a trolley after being transferred from two 20-litre cans near the building. The police believed that the gasoline planted on site had mixed with the air, thus causing the explosion at the start. He is reported to have been shouting “Die as he carried out the attack. The perpetrator also poured gasoline over some people before setting them alight, causing them to run out into the street in flames.

As the fire grew by the entrance, people were trapped inside the building. Nineteen dead bodies were found on the third floor by the stairs to the roof attempting to escape The perpetrator fled the scene but was chased by a Kyoto Animation employee and soon collapsed on the street, where he was apprehended by the police. Multiple unused knives were found lying by the scene.

#Japan police identifies the arsonist who killed 33 people in an animation studio in Kyoto as Shinji Aoba

He told police ‘I did it’, because the studio had stolen his novel 18 years ago.

The blaze is Japan’s worst mass killing in two decades. pic.twitter.com/zObd7rL8eG — EHA News (@eha_news) July 19, 2019



The fire was extinguished at 3:19 p.m. (06:19 UTC). Once the rescue efforts had ended, NHK News confirmed that all persons in the studio had been accounted for. At 10 p.m. (13:00 UTC), the Fire and Disaster Management Agency published its report stating that the building was completely destroyed by the fire. The building did not have fire sprinklers, nor indoor fire hydrants due to its classification as a small office building, but had no deficiencies in fire safety compliance during its last inspection on 17 October 2018. Police have started investigating at the building site.

According to a press conference held on 19 July 2019, the arson attack has destroyed all of Kyoto Animation’s materials and computers in Studio 1. The arson is reported to be one of the deadliest massacres in Japan’s history since the end of World War II, and the deadliest building fire in the country in 18 years since the Myojo 56 building fire in 2001.

Shinji Aoba Possible Charges

The suspect has yet to be arrested or charged. If he is, prosecutors will almost certainly seek the death penalty.



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