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Man Arrested for Threatening Evangelion Studio Khara on Twitter

Police arrested a 35-year-old unemployed man in Okayama after he allegedly posted threats to anime studio Khara on Twitter and other social media services. According to police, the man admitted to the charges of threatening and interfering with work duties, and he said he "did it knowing that the other party [Khara] was scared."

The suspect allegedly posted threats to Khara between July 7 and July 18. The man's posts included death threats and references to the deadly fire at Kyoto Animation's 1st studio building on July 18. Khara reported the posts to police after the Kyoto Animation fire occurred.

The man had allegedly been posting slanderous comments about Khara on social media for three years prior to the arrest. According to police, the man claimed Khara anime copyrights belong to his family, and he stated that he got angry after not receiving an email reply.

Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 (Shin Evangelion Gekijō-ban :||), Studio Khara's new Evangelion film, will open in theaters in Japan in June 2020.

Police in Shinjuku, Tokyo also arrested a 40-year-old man in August for allegedly sending a threat and causing forcible obstruction of business at game developer Square Enix. The man allegedly threatened a repeat of the Kyoto Animation fire.

On July 18 at around 10:30 a.m. JST, a devastating fire broke out at Kyoto Animation's 1st Studio building, killing 36 people and injuring 33 others. 30 fire engines responded to the fire, and firefighters were able to extinguish most of the fire within five hours after it started, but the fire was not fully put out until 6:20 a.m. on July 19. Kyoto Prefectural Police have already apprehended a 41-year-old man who allegedly used gasoline to start the fire, and they are investigating the case as arson.

Sources: The Sankei Shimbun, Kyodo via Hachima Kikō