Tokyo, Oct 19 (IANS) A man was arrested in Tokyo after throwing what appeared to be Molotov cocktails at the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) headquarters and crashing a van into a security fence outside the nearby Prime Minister’s Office early Saturday, local media reported.
The man drove a van in front of the LDP headquarters in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward at around 5:50 a.m. (local time) and threw five or six objects resembling Molotov cocktails, reports Xinhua news agency, quoting public broadcaster NHK.
The suspect then drove about 500 metres to the Prime Minister’s Office, where he attempted to ram the vehicle into the premises but was blocked by a fence, the report said.
The man got out of the van after hitting the barrier and threw what appeared to be a smoke flare at police officers but was subdued and arrested on the spot on suspicion of obstruction of public duties, it added.
The suspect has been identified as Atsunobu Usuta, a 49-year-old from Kawaguchi, Saitama Prefecture, near Tokyo, and multiple plastic kerosene tanks were found inside his vehicle, according to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police.
Police said there were no reports of injuries, but one of the firebombs hit a riot police vehicle with its front panel burned away.
A motive for the attack has yet to be determined, with the suspect remaining silent during questioning, the police said.
“We are in the midst of an election, the foundation of democracy, and I am deeply outraged by this act,” said LDP Secretary General Hiroshi Moriyama, adding that election campaign activities would continue, with the party “firmly determined not to yield to violence.”
Police are investigating the incidents, which came just over a week before the general election on October 27.
–IANS
int/sd/
Disclaimer
The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by BhaskarLive.in and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.
Through this website you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of BhaskarLive.in We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, BhaskarLive.in takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond our control.
For any legal details or query please visit original source link given with news or click on Go to Source.
Our translation service aims to offer the most accurate translation possible and we rarely experience any issues with news post. However, as the translation is carried out by third part tool there is a possibility for error to cause the occasional inaccuracy. We therefore require you to accept this disclaimer before confirming any translation news with us.
If you are not willing to accept this disclaimer then we recommend reading news post in its original language.
