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TOKYO, JAPAN - JAPANESE police said on Friday they were seeking murder charges against a man over a stabbing frenzy in Tokyo that left seven people dead, increasing the likelihood he could face the death penalty.
It is ultimately up to prosecutors whether to charge disgruntled 25-year-old auto worker Tomohiro Kato, who remains in custody after being arrested at the scene of the June 8 massacre.
Mr Kato rammed a rented two-tonne truck into a crowd of pedestrians and slashed shoppers at random with a dagger in the high-tech and alternative culture district of Akihabara.
Police had earlier arrested Mr Kato on charges of attempted murder resulting in death.
But investigators have gathered enough evidence to prove that Mr Kato held clear 'intention to kill,' leading police to press full murder charges as they served a new arrest warrant, a police spokesman said.
'Kato has told police that the charges were correct,' the spokesman said.
Mr Kato had sent dozens of phone messages outlining his plans as he drove the truck to the scene of the crime.
He reportedly told police that he was lonely in real life and on the Internet.
'I wanted to get people's attention,' domestic news reports quoted him as telling police.
If convicted of murder charges, Mr Kato could face the death penalty. -- AFP
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