crime

Gas cylinder full of nails explodes in police dorm in Sapporo

24 Comments

A gas cylinder exploded at a police dorm in Sapporo on Thursday night but no one was injured.

According to police, the incident occurred at around 11:45 p.m. Fuji TV quoted a police officer as saying he heard a loud explosion and then saw smoke pouring out of the building.

The blast occurred on the first floor near the main entrance, causing the wall to burst into flames.

Emergency responders discovered five gas cylinders used for a portable stove near the site of the fire, as well as nearly 100 nails. Of the five gas cylinders, three of them had ruptured.

Since January, there have been four similar incidents involving mysterious explosions of gas cylinders filled with nails at police stations and a commercial facility in Sapporo's Kita Ward.

Police are investigating for any link between the most recent explosion and the previous ones.

© Japan Today

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24 Comments
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Glad no one was hurt.

7 ( +8 / -1 )

Somebody has a grudge against the police in Sapporo.

But I guarantee this spate of terrorism is home grown, just like all the other cases.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Gas cylinder full of nails

AKA a bomb.

Since January, there have been four similar incidents

Described in lower context countries as a series of bomb attacks

8 ( +9 / -1 )

Is it just me, or do other people feel the seriousness of these attacks is being downplayed? Four bombings of police stations in the same area? That is huge news!

15 ( +16 / -1 )

Can we call this what it is? A nail bomb. The 5th nail bomb. Yes, it is totally being downplayed. Gee, wouldn't want to shatter the "safety" Japan myth. Someone seriously has issues and this isn't being taken seriously it seems. They're lucky no one has been killed.

And yes, homegrown terrorism needs to be taken seriously. You'd think they'd have learned from the Aum attacks... Perhas time to start fingerprinting the locals as well?

4 ( +8 / -4 )

Talk about awkward description. A gas cylinder is for heating / cooking, a gas cylinder "full of nails" = homemade weapon, from the sounds of it. Why was there no mention of this in the article?

5 ( +5 / -0 )

sighclops

There are portable Propane gas cylinders as source of fuel that is on the general market. The perpatrator did not hook up the makeshift bomb to ignite the gas and only utilize the pressure within the cylinders from the looks of it.

The ones who did it probably does not have the expertise into making it more lethal.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

No big deal? Huh, I have seen a few times the carnage caused by antipersonnel mines placed inside concrete rubbish bin, mince meat don't start to describe.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I can't imagine how one could possibly fill a camping gas bombe with anything without opening it and thereby releasing all the gas.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Every DIY store sells compressors Including industrial grade ones.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

So, on five separate occasions, someone has walked into a policy station foyer with a gas cylinder encased in some wraparound that is full of nails and , obviously, some sort of remote detonation attachment and no-one saw anything. Where is the guy outside with the bit stick??

0 ( +0 / -0 )

So, on five separate occasions, someone has walked into a policy station foyer with a gas cylinder encased in some wraparound that is full of nails and , obviously, some sort of remote detonation attachment and no-one saw anything. Where is the guy outside with the bit stick??>

I think you need the cops some slack. They were out checking that the general populous have functioning bike lights and other important police business.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

If I were them I'd start looking into anyone who might of left the Police recently or was rejected at application. But I'm sure there's a whole laundry list of suspects, there always is when it comes to cases where the police are the intended targets.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

"So, on five separate occasions, someone has walked into a policy station foyer with a gas cylinder encased in some wraparound that is full of nails" "Where is the guy outside with the bit stick??"

You got a point..a while back I went to the US embassy to get a new passport, and this young cop, was standing nearby just a bobbing and shaking his head to the music in his headphones, he certainly saw me come out of the embassy. I went accross the street to take a passport pic, and when I passed him on the way back inside the embassy, he carded me for my passport which I told him was inside...I said I have other ID's he kept saying passport...he did not believe me, and luckily an embassy passport clerk was walking outside and confirmed my story...sheesh..

When I finished getting my passport I walked up to the Koban right next to the US embassy, and many thoses J-cops came out like mad gate guards and told me I could not enter. I only wanted to ask for directions...I've done it numerous times at other Kobans...my point IMO: if an other that JP walks around, or into such places it SEEMS its business as usual...

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Snow must melting in Hokkaido and the nutters are out in force -it seems.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Home grown terrorist with a grudge against J-cops? With some of the stories about J-cops, it is understandable if not right. Guess Japan is getting less and less safe.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

If you look at the pictures, they are those hand-held aerosol cans used in those flat cooking ranges for small nabe dishes. The bombings have all taken place within three kilometers of each other. Push pins (thumb tacks) were used first; the nails used this time are very small. Remains of meths-impregnated pink burner material were found. My guess is that the cans were rolled up with the little tacks, nails etc, and a heat source was lit by hand. Three out of five cans failed to explode. The wall of the police dorm had scorch marks on it. Very amateurish, IMHO, but the petty grudge-holder needs to be caught before someone really gets hurt.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Gas cylinder full of nails explodes in police dorm in Sapporo

another website, gave a clearer perspective: http://newsonjapan.com/html/newsdesk/article/107143.php

"a police officer as saying he heard a loud explosion and then saw smoke pouring out of the building."

apparrently this is a dormitory, or an apartment style building or barracks where the j-cops can live.

inside job???

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Maybe the cops are clamping down on the local yaks or yanks?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

HorenzoApr. 05, 2014 - 03:19PM JST

Inside job? Are you suggesting a cop detonated a can of hair spray in his dormitory because someone ate his melon pan? :P

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Magnus Roe

Inside job? Are you suggesting a cop detonated a can of hair spray in his dormitory because someone ate his melon pan? :P

"because someone ate his melon pan?"

or perhaps his resentment of higher consumption taxes, particularly for the melon pan, may have snapped a frigid ramen noodle?:P

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Sounds like a poorly made IED. Good thing the guy has never heard of gas welding.Oxyacetylene would really up the blast. Weird that a string of terrorist bombing attacks like this isn't bigger news. I hope they catch the guy before someone loses an eye or gets a nail in the head.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Maybe the cops are clamping down on the local yaks or yanks?

Not enough yanks to bother clamping down on.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

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