Prosecutors have indicted a man accused of murder and other charges over the 2019 Kyoto Animation arson attack that killed 36 people.
The Kyoto District Public Prosecutors Office concluded that the suspect Shinji Aoba, 42, was fit to stand trial after a six-month evaluation in detention.
Aoba is accused of breaking into KyoAni's No. 1 Studio in Fushimi Ward, Kyoto City, at around 10:30 a.m. on July 18, 2019, and setting fire to the building after spreading gasoline around, according to the indictment filed on Wednesday.
In addition to the murder charges for the killing of 36 Kyoto Animation Co. executives and employees, the charges also included attempted murder for the 34 victims that sustained injuries.
Aoba, who suffered severe burns in the attack, was arrested by the Kyoto Prefectural Police on May 27, about 10 months after the fire.
Prosecutors have not yet confirmed if there has been an admission or denial of guilt. According to investigators, he repeatedly admitted to the charges after his arrest, reportedly saying, "I did it out of spite against KyoAni," and "I thought I could kill many people by using gasoline."
There were no words of apology or remorse, according to the investigators.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
