TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 24-year-old Chinese national and university student in connection with a brazen daytime attack at an upscale shopping complex in Chuo Ward earlier this year, reports the Asahi Shimbun (Oct. 29).
According to the Tsukiji Police Station, Ye Shengfeng, of Sakai City’s Naka Ward, is accused of spraying an aerosol substance directly into the face of a man in his 30s at an ATM corner on the first floor of the Ginza Six facility at around noon on May 25.
The attack did not stop there. Thirty people in total, ranging in age from their 20s to their 80s, were caught in the cloud of spray and injured. Of those, 25 men and women were rushed to hospital complaining of throat pain and other symptoms.
Capsaicin
Forensic analysis of the scene confirmed the presence of capsaicin, the active chemical compound found in chili peppers and used in commercial-grade pepper sprays and tear gas agents, police said.
Investigators have confirmed that Ye had no prior acquaintance with any of the victims, leaving the motive for the indiscriminate attack unclear.
Police said Ye has declined to discuss the allegations of causing bodily injury, stating only that he did not wish to speak about the incident.
Fled by subway
After carrying out the attack, Ye fled the scene by subway. Investigators pieced together his movements through analysis of security camera footage. Detectives have also revealed that Ye met with an unidentified man near the scene shortly before the attack and are now working to locate that individual, who may have material knowledge of the circumstances surrounding the assault.
Ginza Six, one of Tokyo’s premier luxury retail destinations, draws a large daily crowd of shoppers, tourists, and office workers.
The attack in its busy ground-floor banking area struck at random members of the public in one of the capital’s most high-profile commercial spaces.
