Targeted Patent Firms? Suspect Attempted Arson 4 Years Ago as Well

[Anchor]

Patent law firm offices were located in both buildings where the fires broke out. It has been revealed that the suspect apprehended by the police had previously been arrested four years ago for attempting to set fire to the same buildings.

Reporting from reporter Je Hui-won.

[Reporter]

A man is seen walking around a building, inspecting the area while carrying a plastic container filled with a yellowish liquid.

Around noon yesterday (October 20), a man in his 70s, identified as A, was captured on CCTV wandering near the two buildings in Yeoksam-dong, Seoul, where fires broke out consecutively, carrying a liquid suspected to be an accelerant.

[Lee Gil-yeol / Witness: I was coming down to eat when I was told they saw a man walking by carrying something similar to a paint thinner container.]

Shortly afterward, accompanied by a loud sound resembling an exploding battery, the flames spread rapidly.

[Employee at the building: They said they heard a crackling sound from the pantry area. Someone rushed out, and then the person next to me rushed out.]

Suspect A, who is believed to have set fires at the two buildings with a seven-minute interval, fled in a taxi and was apprehended by the police about four hours later near Dongmyo Station in Seoul.

It was found that suspect A had also been arrested four years ago on charges of preparation for arson after attempting to set fire to the same buildings.

[Building affiliate: I understand there was a minor incident back then. He must have poured quite a bit of thinner on the stairs. He was reported and taken away.]

The two buildings where the fires occurred face each other across an intersection, and patent law firm offices that handle patent disputes and trademark registrations are located in both buildings.

Escorted to the Seoul Suseo Police Station, suspect A stated that he had prepared the crime starting three days prior and even pulled out documents to show the press.

[Suspect A: (Did you harbor a grudge against the patent firms?) I filed for a patent back in 2000, but they defrauded me. Look at this, look here. Please take some pictures. This is evidence.]

The police believe that the crime was committed out of grievances regarding past patent-related matters and plan to investigate the specific motives behind the act.

(Video Reported by Kim Se-kyung and Yang Ji-hoon | Video Edited by Lee So-young)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.