A man was arrested Friday night after claiming responsibility for pouring gasoline on the ground in the middle of a busy crossing in front of Tokyo’s Shibuya Station and igniting it, authorities said.
The suspect, who is in his 50s and from Nagoya, turned himself in at a nearby police station at around 9 p.m. Friday, about 20 minutes after the incident, telling authorities that he had poured the gasoline and set it on fire with a lighter.
The fire was quickly extinguished by police officers and no one was hurt, according to authorities.
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【速報】スクランブル交差点“放火” 男の身柄確保
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东京?渋谷のスクランブル交差点で灯油などが燃える火事が発生
→警视庁は火をつけたとみられる男の身柄を确保
— 報道ステーション＋サタステ (@hst_tvasahi)
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“It happened in the blink of an eye while the light was red,“?a male college student who was at the scene told NHK. “It felt like someone set the fire and then just walked away.”
The man’s reason for lighting the fire at the busy intersection was unclear, but a cardboard box with some kind of message written on it was left at the scene. Police are investigating the suspect’s motive.
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