TMCnet News
Suspect in online threat case says another person committed crime(Japan Economic Newswire Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) TOKYO, Feb. 15 -- (Kyodo) _ Yusuke Katayama, the man under arrest for allegedly making online threats through hijacked personal computers, has told his lawyer that he is not guilty and that no evidence of a computer virus for remotely controlling PCs would be found at his home. According to the lawyer, Hiroshi Sato, and other sources, Katayama has admitted visiting the Enoshima district in Kanagawa Prefecture where a cat was found with a collar containing a data storage device linked to the case. "I took photos (of the cat) but didn't attach the collar," Katayama was quoted as telling the lawyer about his visit to Enoshima Jan. 5. Arrested on Feb. 10, Katayama has also denied attaching the collar or involvement in the crime in police questioning. The lawyer, who visited Katayama, an employee of an information technology company, at the detention house, also quoted the suspect as saying that "evidence of a remote control virus shouldn't come out from my home or the office I worked at." The cat in Enoshima was found based on hints given in emails sent in January by a person who claimed to have made the online threats between June and September last year, including warnings of attacks on schoolchildren, mass murder, and destruction of a landmark shrine. Police suffered embarrassment after initially wrongfully arresting the owners of hijacked PCs from which the messages were posted on online bulletins. The perpetrator has said he holds a grudge against the police and prosecutors for implicating him in a previous crime before, but Katayama reportedly told his lawyer he has no such feelings toward law-enforcement authorities. The cat wore a collar that carried a micro SD card containing data for a remote control virus. The police determined that it was attached by the perpetrator. A security camera captured a person who the police believe was Katayama approaching the cat, and this led to his arrest. (c) 2013 Kyodo News International, Inc. |