Kyoto Animation Arson Suspect to Be Formally Arrested This Week

In two months, the year anniversary of the Kyoto Animation Arson will be upon fans, and a new report confirms justice is coming for those who died in the tragic event. Recently, the Osaka Police Detention Center confirmed it plans on arresting the suspect who was detained for the attack all those months ago. Shinji Aoba is nearly finished receiving medical treatment for the wounds he sustained during the arson, and that means police will be able to formally arrest him this month.

According to the report (via Sora News), Aoba is expected to be arrested on May 27 now that the Osaka Police Detention Center has made preparations for his arrival. Normally, the suspect would be held at the Kyoto Police Detention Center, but the building lacks enough facilities to oversee Aoba due to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak.

Since the horrific attack last July, Aoba has been in hospital receiving treatment for the third-degree burns he sustained during the event. The suspect underwent various skin grafts, but the process took longer as donors were allotted to victims of the attack first. As supplies dwindled, Aoba was given grafts using artificial skin which marked a first for Japanese medicine.

As Aoba prepares to be formally arrested, fans of Kyoto Animation are relieved, and they can only imagine how those who survived the attack feel. The arson killed 36 employees at Kyoto Animation’s Studio 1 after Aobo allegedly poured gasoline around the building before lighting it aflame from within. Another 35 people were injured in the fire to make this attack one of the worst in Japan’s recent history.

Aoba will soon after to answer for what he did last July, and as the one-year mark of the attack nears, we can only hope those impacted by the arson are beginning to find peace. The remains of Studio 1 were fully demolished as of last month, so all of Kyoto has one less reminder of the tragic events. Currently, there are no approved plans for a memorial, but executives at Kyoto Animation are working with local and families of those killed in the attack to create such a place.