2019 Tokyo car attack
2019 Tokyo car attack | |
---|---|
Date | January 1, 2019 |
Target | Pedestrians |
Attack type | Vehicle-ramming attack, attempted mass murder |
Weapon | Daihatsu Move |
Deaths | 0 |
Injured | 9 |
Perpetrator | Kazuhiro Kusakabe |
Motive | Response to an execution of Aleph's cult members. |
Convictions | Attempted murder |
Sentence | 18 years in prison |
The 2019 Tokyo car attack was a
Kusakabe was subsequently convicted of attempted murder in connection with the attack. He was sentenced to 18 years in prison.[3]
Attack
The attack occurred early in the morning, shortly after midnight. A car collided with people on
A 30-liter tank of
Perpetrator
A 21-year-old man, Kazuhiro Kusakabe (
Asahi.com reported that Kusakabe says he staged the attack "in retaliation for the death penalty system."[4]
Police told several media outlets that they were investigating a link between Kusakabe and a doomsday cult, formerly known as Aum Shinrikyo which was responsible for the 1995 Tokyo subway sarin attack.[6]
According to Asahi, the suspect said to police that he had prepared for an arson attack "I planned to set fire by spreading kerosene with the high-pressure washer, targeting a crowd at Meiji Shrine".[4] However police suspect he changed his plan after finding that vehicles were not permitted at the shrine due to the high volume of visitors.[1]
Victims
Eight men, aged 19–51, were injured by the car collision, with the 19-year-old remaining in critical condition as of January 3, 2019.[4][5] The ninth victim was a man who was mildly injured when Kusakabe struck him while getting out of his vehicle.[1]
See also
- Akihabara massacre
References
- ^ a b c d e "9 injured as man rams car into pedestrians in Harajuku in 'retaliation for execution'". Japan Today. January 1, 2019. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
- ^ a b "Tokyo car attack: Driver hits New Year's revelers in city's Harajuku district By Euan McKirdy and Junko Ogura". CNN. January 1, 2019. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
- ^ "Man, 23, handed 18-year term over Takeshita-dori ramming incident – TokyoReporter".
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Source: Driver in street attack planned to burn people at shrine". The Asahi Shimbun. January 3, 2019. Archived from the original on April 12, 2019. Retrieved January 4, 2019.
- ^ a b c d "Driver ploughs through crowds on Tokyo's Takeshita street, injuring nine". The Japan Times. January 1, 2019. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
- ^ "Driver rams into Tokyo New Year's crowd, injuring 8, in anger over 'death penalty,' police say". Washington Post. January 1, 2019. Retrieved January 2, 2019.