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Newspaper sales agent accused of settling ablaze residence of non-subscriber

TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a male newspaper sales agent for allegedly setting ablaze the residence of a non-subscriber four years ago, reports NHK (Feb. 21).

In April, 2016, Daisuke Hoshi, 33, allegedly used a lighter to set newspaper pages ablaze at the residence in the Adachi area of Adachi Ward. The subsequent fire burned one part of a wall.

At the time, Hoshi was an employee of a newspaper shop that deals with multiple newspapers. Prior to the incident, the suspect visited the residence to solicit subscriptions.

“I was annoyed after they failed to subscribe, so I started the fire,” Hoshi told the Ayase Police Station in admitting to attempted arson.

Daisuke Hoshi (Twitter)

This is not the first arrest of Hoshi. Police first arrested him in connection with other fires nearby that started under suspicious circumstances.

He was arrested in this latest cases after a DNA analysis on cigarette butts found at the scene proved to be a match for DNA found at the other crime scenes.