To use this site, please disable the ad blocking feature and reload the page.
This website uses cookies to collect information about your visit for purposes such as showing you personalized ads and content, and analyzing our website traffic. By clicking “Accept all,” you will allow the use of these cookies.
Users accessing this site from EEA countries and UK are unable to view this site without your consent. We apologize for any inconvenience caused.
The Yomiuri Shimbun A car believed to have been used at the time of the incident is taken away from the suspect’s home in Kokura Minami Ward, Kitakyushu, on Thursday.
The Yomiuri Shimbun
11:42 JST, December 20, 2024
The 43-year-old man arrested in connection with the stabbing case in which two students were attacked at a McDonald’s restaurant in Kitakyushu had been causing noise and other problems in his neighborhood, police said.
The police on Thursday arrested Masanori Hirabaru on suspicion of attempted murder of a schoolboy who was injured in the incident on Saturday.
Police also aim to file charges against him for the murder of Saaya Nakashima, the 15-year-old girl who died in the incident.
According to several residents living near his house, Hirabaru is a large, sturdy man who interacted little with his neighbors. Since summer, he had been setting off firecrackers and playing military-like music at high volume. Neighbors are also said to have heard angry shouts and strange noises. While the incidents had calmed down over the past month or two, red and blue lights had been spotted eminating from his house.
According to police, Hirabaru lived alone. Police received complaints about noise and other issues in May and October.
