Man nabbed on suspicion of preparing to carry out killing in Tokyo

A man in central Japan has been arrested on suspicion of preparing to carry out a random killing in Tokyo, police said.

Katsumi Mori, 53, of Namerikawa, Toyama Prefecture, was quoted by police as telling investigators that he was planning the crime out of his desire to receive the death penalty.

“I wanted to die because of economic hardship brought on by the rising cost of living,” he was quoted as saying. “I thought that if I carried out a random killing in Tokyo, I could be shot to death or get the death penalty.”

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He is alleged to have booked a bus ticket to Tokyo and packed a knife in a bag at his home around Saturday. Working on a tip that a person was planning a random killing, police identified Mori and arrested him the next day. /dl

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