Man Sentenced to Death Over Animation Studio Blaze That Killed 36 People and Injured 32

A Japanese court has sentenced a man to death for setting a fire that killed 36 people.

The Kyoto District Court on Thursday found Shinji Aoba guilty of murder and other crimes, the Associated Press reports.

Aoba set Kyoto Animation’s first studio on fire in July 2019. In addition to killing 36 people, the attack left more than 30 other people badly burned or injured, according to the outlet. Many victims are believed to have died from carbon monoxide poisoning.

According to Reuters, Aoba set the anime studio on fire by dousing the building’s entrance with gasoline. He also suffered severe burns and was hospitalized for 10 months.

Shinji Aoba set fire to Kyoto Animation’s first studio in Kyoto in July 2019.

Kyodo News via AP

Referee Keisuke Masuda told Aoba, who shouted, “You’re going to die!” during the attack according to CBS News, he sought revenge. According to local media outlet NHK, according to CBS, Aoba believed that Kyoto Animation, the producer of several hit TV series, had stolen the novels he submitted as part of the company’s contest. He was not a current or former employee of the company, NHK added.

The media also reported that Aoba, who was arrested in May 2020, planned a separate attack on a train station north of Tokyo a month before the arson, CBS writes.

Aoba’s defense attorneys had argued that he was mentally incompetent to be held criminally responsible for the crimes, according to the AP, but a court ruled he was mentally competent to face punishment for the attack on Thursday.

32 people were also injured in the attack.

JIJI PRESS/JIJI PRESS/AFP via Getty

In the ruling, the court said Aoba planned the attacks after studying past arson cases, meaning the crime was premeditated and he was mentally competent.

“The attack that immediately turned the studio into hell and took the precious lives of 36 people, caused them indescribable pain,” the judge said, NHK reports, CBS reports.

Around 70 people were working in the building at the time of the attack.

Aoba was sentenced on Thursday.

STR/JIJI PRESS/AFP via Getty

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A few hours after the incident, the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau paid tribute to the victims of post shared on Xformerly known as Twitter.

“Canadians send our deepest condolences to the families of those killed in the Kyoto arson attack that claimed so many innocent lives,” he wrote. “To the people of Japan – we join you in mourning these tragic losses and wish a speedy recovery to all those injured.”

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education