▲ A man in his 70s, surnamed A, who is suspected of setting consecutive fires at two buildings in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul on the 20th, is being escorted to the Seoul Suseo Police Station.
Police have requested an arrest warrant for a man in his 70s arrested for setting fires at two buildings in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, injuring nearly 20 people, on charges of arson of an existing building resulting in injury.
The Seoul Suseo Police Station announced that it has applied for an arrest warrant for A, who was arrested the previous day on charges of arson of an existing building resulting in injury.
A is accused of setting successive fires at around 11:54 a.m. on the 3rd floor of the Shinmyeong Building and at around 12:00 p.m. on the 4th floor of the Hanyang Building on the 20th, injuring 19 people.
Among them, a patent attorney was found in a state of cardiac arrest and was transferred to a hospital for treatment.
Both locations where the fires were set were identified as patent corporation offices.
Police have secured a statement that A looked for a specific person just before the arson and are considering adding attempted murder charges.
During an investigation of the arson victims the previous day, police heard a statement to the effect that before carrying out the arson, A encountered an employee at the patent corporation office, mentioned the name of a managerial-level employee in charge of trademark and design work, B, and asked where B worked.
Police also secured a statement that after receiving a response from the employee saying, "I don't know who B is, but I can find out," A replied, "There is no need," and immediately poured accelerant at the office entrance.
Additionally, police obtained a statement from the landlord of the residence where A lived, who said that A made remarks to the effect of seeking revenge by stating, "I won't let the bastard who defrauded me go," as he left the house on the day of the arson.
Furthermore, through a joint on-site inspection with the fire department, police secured CCTV footage showing A pouring flammable liquid on the floor in front of the entrance of the patent corporation office on the 4th floor of the Hanyang Building, the second arson location, and starting a fire.
Police also presume that flammable substances were poured on the floor at the entrance of the patent corporation office on the 3rd floor of the Shinmyeong Building, the first arson location, before setting it on fire.
Synthesizing these circumstances, police plan to add attempted murder charges if additional evidence is secured showing that A had the intent to kill a specific person.
Police have requested an analysis from the National Forensic Service regarding the fuel container (plastic jerry can) found at the scene.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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