We have an update from yesterday’s news about the Kyoto Animation Arson Attack; the Company’s President, Hideaki Hatta had a mass interview with the press on Friday that he revealed with great regret that the housed past animation materials and computers in Animation’s 1st Studio was destroyed. Hatta went on to say “The [monetary] amount of the damage? Extreme. I don’t know the full details.”
“I am deeply heartbroken. I can’t bear it. I never even in my dreams would have thought such a large disaster would happen. This is a serious blow to our company and our industry. Every one of them was an excellent and wonderful colleague.”
Hideaki Hatta, President of Kyoto Animation
According to Anime News Network, Thirty Fire-Engines responded to the fire and the firefighters were able to extinguish the fire within the five hours when it was started, however, the fire was not fully put out until early Friday morning at 6:20 am. Those who were confirmed dead the firefighters found two people on the first floor, 11 people on the second floor, one person in a stairwell between the second and third floors, and 19 people on the stairwell between the third floor and the rooftop. As mentioned before, the 41-year-old connected to the arson has been arrested by the Kyoto Prefectural Police.
While there isn’t a clear connection between the 41-year-old suspect and Kyoto Animation Company, however, but from the Mainichi Shimbun reported that the suspect told police the company “stole his novel”. NHK recently spoke to police about the suspect, and spoke to a man who owns the housing complex the suspect lived in described his apartment as ‘littered’ and went onto further more detail “The man’s room was messed up, the screen of the computer was broken with a hammer, the wall had a hole and the glass was broken, but I do not remember if there was anything related to anime.” The police haven’t interrogated the suspect since he is still receieving treatment for his injuries and haven’t obtained a official statement on a motive, the interrogation will be made later to obtain the suspsect’s true motive.
NHK brought up an item from the suspect’s rap sheet (Criminal Record); he was indicted in 2012 for a convenience store robbery and served 3.5 years in prison. Residents near the park thirty minutes before the incident occurred also described the suspect visited a gas station near the park, bought 40 liters of gasoline, putting it in two carrying cans, and carried it on a hand-operated trolley.
We will not publish the name of the suspect in respect for the people and victims affected in this terrible tragedy. -Red
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