The suspect in last week's deadly arson attack on a Kyoto Animation Co. studio may have walked for hours scouting the company headquarters and the nearby area the day before the fire, even bringing gas containers to the site, investigative sources said Tuesday.
Shinji Aoba, 41, who allegedly ignited the blaze that left 34 people dead in the three-story studio building in Kyoto on Thursday, likely bought gasoline containers at a hardware store located 5 kilometers from the studio and transported them in a handcart to the site Wednesday, they said.
The walk could have taken more than an hour as anyone trying to get to the anime studio from the store needs to cross a river and pass through a complex residential area.