Report: Japan murder suspect cries during interrogation

Source: Agencies  |   2008-6-10  |     ONLINE EDITION

THE suspect in a knifing rampage that left seven dead in Tokyo was handed to prosecutors today, as media reports pulling together Internet postings and police statements drew a picture of an angry, lonely young man who meticulously planned the deadly attack.

Tomohiro Kato, a 25-year-old factory worker, was transferred from police custody to a holding cell at the Tokyo prosecutors' office, where he was expected to undergo further questioning into Sunday's attack in which he allegedly slammed a rented truck into a crowd of pedestrians then jumped out and began a stabbing spree.

A police spokesman who requested anonymity because the investigation is ongoing said Kato has at times broken down in tears during questioning. He said the suspect has been unapologetic but otherwise cooperative. He refused to give further details.

Three people were killed by the impact of the truck and four others died of stab wounds, police said. Another 10 were injured. Kato, blood spattered on his face and clothes, was arrested on the spot. It was the worst murder rampage in Tokyo in recent memory.

According to Japanese media reports, Kato has told police that he went to Akihabara the day before the rampage to plan out his assault. The popular shopping district is a hangout for young people and a center of Japan's comic book and computer game culture.

Police refused to confirm those reports.

Though the motive for the crime remained a mystery, more details came out in the media today about Kato's background and his metamorphosis from an award-winning tennis player in high school to a secluded and virtually friendless temporary worker in a factory outside Tokyo.

Three days before the attack, Kato lost his temper at the auto parts factory where he worked in Shizuoka, about 160 kilometers southwest of Tokyo, said company executive Osamu Namai.