OSAKA: Japanese police on Sunday identified a 61-year-old patient of a mental health clinic in the western Japan city of Osaka as the suspect of Friday’s arson attack at the clinic that killed 24 people.

The patient, Morio Tanimoto, whose occupation is unknown, allegedly brought a paper bag containing liquid into the clinic and set it on fire.

He used his bicycle to go to the clinic from his home in the city’s Nishiyodogawa Ward and carried with him two cans, which are believed to be tear gas sprayers, together with the paper bag, investigative sources said.

The Osaka prefectural police department said it released the name of the suspect even though it has yet to issue a warrant of arrest on murder and arson charges against the man because bereaved families wished to have the suspect identified.

“The crime was extremely heinous as it was directed at a large number of unspecified people,” an Osaka police official said.

Tanimoto was among those taken to hospital after the fire. He is in critical condition, suffering severe inhalation burns.

The clinic, which specializes in psychosomatic medicine and psychiatry, is located on the fourth floor of a building in the city’s Kita Ward.

Two women said they saw Tanimoto place the paper bag on the floor near the doorway and kick it over immediately after arriving at the clinic alone. They also saw the liquid that had leaked from the bag catch fire.

Security camera footage at the clinic showed Tanimoto setting fire. As traces of oil have been found at a clinic, the police suspect that the liquid inside the paper bag was gasoline.

Security cameras near the building caught Tanimoto entering the building with the paper bag after arriving there by bicycle.

A total of 28 people were taken to hospital from the building in Kita Ward, including the 24 who were confirmed dead after being rescued from the fourth floor. The Osaka police carried out autopsies on 19 of the deceased and determined that at least five died of acute carbon monoxide poisoning.

The identities of six of the 24 fatal victims were confirmed. The six were in their 20s to 40s, including a 21-year-old part-time worker who was a staff member of the clinic.

JIJI Press