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Police said Wednesday they have arrested a man in Handa, Aichi Prefecture, in connection with a series of arson incidents in which car tires were set alight.
According to police, the 48-year-old man, who has been named as Hiroyuki Kondo, is accused of setting fire to the tires of vehicles parked in car parks using solid fuel fire starter tablets and a lighter. NTV quoted police as saying that they have logged reports of around 70 similar incidents in the area, for which they believe Kondo may have been responsible. Investigators found evidence that fire starters had been used at 21 of the incidents, it was reported.
Kondo was finally caught on Monday night as he allegedly set fire to tires in a Handa car park. Following his arrest, Kondo reportedly confessed that he had been responsible for a spate of arson attacks that had been reported in the area since February.
During questioning, he was quoted by police as saying: "Of the incidents I can recall, there were at least 45 cases -- 10 in Anjo, 30 in Okazaki and five in Kota." When asked about his motive for the crimes, Kondo told officers, "I was frustrated because I didn't have a job," NTV reported.
© Japan Today
6 Comments
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sensei258
“I was frustrated because I didn’t have a job,” Now you can work in the prison laundry moron.
some14some
now, the new tire sales will go down.
Balefire
He doesn't have a job, but he could afford to buy fire starter tablets. I hope he gets a nice long prison term.
FightingViking
UGH ! The smell of burning rubber... and what would have happened if someone had left a drop of gasoline "dangling" from the reservoir ? Maybe he was hoping for a "fireworks show" ?
Balefire
I would imagine that the burning tires would also cause other damage (to the brakes and probably various lines/wires, at least), making the repairs very costly and in some cases maybe resulting in the car having to be replaced. It's not hard to imagine even a small gas or oil leak resulting in a conflagration even more serious.
The criminal's activity is far beyond a prank, even if it were just one tire instead of dozens.
Disillusioned
But, he has confessed, shown remorse and given a reason why he was frustrated. Case closed! He'll be out and about again before the end of the week. He is a 48 y/o whacko that should be in a sanitarium!