Man detained in Tokyo after throwing apparent firebombs at ruling party HQ

19/10/2024 14:07

        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.
        
        The report said, the suspect then drove about 500 meters to the Prime Minister's Office, where he attempted to ram the vehicle into the premises but was blocked by a fence.
        
        It added, 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.
        
        According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police, 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.
        
        Police said there were no reports of injuries, but one of the firebombs hit a riot police vehicle with its front panel burned away.