THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
August 28, 2021 at 18:50 JST
Police arrested a fugitive with a grievance within 24 hours of placing him on the most wanted list for throwing sulfuric acid in the face of a man he knew from university.
The incident occurred around 9 p.m. on Aug. 24 at Tokyo's Shirokane-Takanawa subway station.
Hirotaka Hanamori, 25, was arrested Aug. 28 on suspicion of inflicting bodily harm, according to investigative sources.
Police caught up with him in Okinawa Prefecture, where he once attended university.
Hanamori's victim was a 22-year-old company employee. He was attacked near the escalator heading aboveground from the station's exit gate.
The man suffered severe burns to his face, shoulder and neck as well as cornea damage in both eyes.
A 34-year-old woman close by was also injured.
Security camera footage led police to trace Hanamori from his home in Shizuoka city to Tokyo on Aug. 24.
Police said he waited near the victim’s company and trailed him to the subway station to carry out the assault, sources said.
Hanamori and the victim attended the same university in Okinawa and belonged to the same extracurricular club.
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