Latest news with #firebombing
Japan Times
16 hours ago
- Japan Times
Diaries of a Japanese war criminal reveal 'how irrational war truly is,' son says
On June 19, 1945, a U.S. firebombing raid on the city of Fukuoka killed over 1,000 people and changed the course of one man's life. The next day, Army Paymaster Kentaro Toji, grieving the loss of his mother in the attack, volunteered to execute four captured American airmen. Convicted as a Class B/C war criminal after the war, Toji was initially sentenced to death in 1948, but later had his sentence reduced to life imprisonment and was released in 1958. 'War is a cycle of senseless victimization and perpetration,' said his third son, Katsuya Toji, 71, in an interview from Fukuoka. He spoke as he held the wartime diaries his father wrote while imprisoned at Tokyo's Sugamo Prison — extensive records totaling more than 3,000 pages. Kentaro Toji | Courtesy of Katsuya Toji / via Jiji According to court documents and personal records, Kentaro Toji came across the men about to be executed on June 20, 1945, at the former Western Army Headquarters in Fukuoka as he was preparing a coffin for his mother. He volunteered to carry out the beheadings of four captured B-29 crew members, reportedly driven by grief and anger from the bombing. Following Japan's surrender, Toji was imprisoned at Sugamo and kept a detailed diary from August 1946 to October 1952. His writings document not only the legal proceedings and daily life behind bars, but also his reflections on family and justice. 'Death by hanging! That was the sentence handed down to me,' he wrote on Dec. 29, 1948. 'It felt like I was sinking quietly into the bottom of a deep sea.' In the same entry, he wrote that he had believed the executions had been formally sanctioned by military disciplinary procedures, and noted that orders had been given for three of the four killings. Still, he wavered between seeking a retrial and accepting his fate. Katsuya Toji speaks during an interview in the city of Fukuoka in May as he shows the diaries his father Kentaro had written while in prison as a war criminal following World War II. | Jiji On Jan. 1, 1949, he wrote: 'If this is the price of war, a sacrifice for the advancement of humanity, or the result of an infinite karmic cycle, I accept it.' When the Korean War broke out in 1950, Toji noted how even the American guards at Sugamo were being dispatched to the front. On July 14, 1950, he wrote, 'I can't bear the thought of young soldiers around the age of 20 dying one after another under North Korean fire,' before concluding simply: 'I hate war.' In one exchange written in the diaries, a prison guard asked Toji how he had felt at the time of the executions. 'Before I volunteered, I was truly angry,' he admitted, also recounting how his wife had admonished him, saying that the executed airmen 'must have had wives and children, too.' After his release, Toji installed Jizo statues in his garden to honor the men he had executed. In his later years, he frequently welcomed Asian exchange students into his home and supported them. 'We caused harm to other Asian countries,' he told his son. 'That must never be forgotten.' Toji died in 1983 at age 68. Until the end, he maintained that 'it is unjust and wrong for the victors to judge the defeated.' 'If that becomes the norm, no one will be able to surrender,' said Katsuya. 'My father's diary reveals just how irrational war truly is.' Translated by The Japan Times
The Sun
5 days ago
- The Sun
Parents of drug dealer who outed rivals on Instagram firebombed in revenge attack amid Scotland's explosive gang war
A DRUG dealer who set up an Instagram page outing rival gangsters was targeted in a turf war firebombing at his parent's million pound home. Lewis 'Gucci' Reid, 28, was in the sights of thugs carrying out attacks across the Central Belt linked to Dubai-based ex-Rangers ultra turned mobster Ross McGill. 4 4 A sinister video shared by the hoods, who call themselves Tamo Junto, said Reid had grassed them up using the Instagram handle 'Cumbernauld Rats', which has since been deleted. The footage shows flames leaping up the window and front door of his parents' mansion in Bridge of Weir, Renfrewshire, last month. The gang warned: 'If you write stuff about us online or try to organise violence against us we will target you and your family. "Don't steal from us, don't threaten us, don't snitch on us. Or we will relentlessly come after you.' Scumbag Reid was jailed in 2020 for selling ecstasy to a girl of 16 who later died, as well as trafficking narcotics and dangerous driving. He was also convicted of a revenge porn attack against another 16-year-old in 2018 after filming her in a shower then posting the video online. He has links to Glasgow's Daniels gang and caged Edinburgh cocaine kingpin Mark Richardson. They and their allies are under siege from Tamo Junto after McGill was ripped off in a drug deal. We told how Reid broke ex Codey Brown's wrist after she fell as he sped off in his car while she leaned in the window. She later took her own life. Shock video shows mobsters firebomb SUV & van at home previously targeted in sick daylight raid The brute was caged for 6½ years for dealing MDMA that led to tragic Chelsea Bruce's collapse in a flat in Springburn, Glasgow, that July. Some 44 people have been arrested accused of firebombings, shootings and murder plots allegedly linked to McGill's three-month feud.
News.com.au
12-06-2025
- News.com.au
Police chase anonymous tip-off after ‘innocent' Melbourne woman killed
Police are hoping a nickname or alias given by an anonymous caller will be the key to arresting the men who firebombed the wrong Melbourne house, killing a woman inside. Katie Tangey, 27, died inside a family member's house in Truganina in the city's west in January. Police believe two men, filmed at the scene, targeted the wrong address but were motivated by Melbourne's ongoing illicit tobacco wars. On Thursday, police searched a house in the southeast suburb of Dandenong, did not make any arrests, but seized phones. 'We are absolutely determined to provide what closure and justice we can to the family of Katie Tangey,' arson squad Detective Inspector Chris Murray said. Police were 'getting closer' to solving the case, Inspector Murray said. 'I know Katie's family would want nothing more than to see her live out the whole life she had ahead of her, but the least we can do is make sure those responsible for this tragedy are held accountable for their actions. 'Investigators know Katie Tangey was completely innocent and had nothing to do with the illicit tobacco trade.' In April, police set up a booth in the Truganina street where Ms Tangey died in the hope of gathering information from the public. A digital composite of one of the arsonists' faces was then also released. 'Via anonymous reports to Crime Stoppers, police were provided information, including a particular call where a name has been given of a pseudonym or nickname,' police say in Thursday's statement. 'Investigators are still urging this particular caller to make further contact and provide additional information.' Ms Tangey was house sitting her brother's home on Dover St on January 16 when two men attacked the property in the early hours with a jerry can. The men were filmed leaving the scene in a dark-coloured BMW X3 or X5. Ms Tangey called triple-0 from inside the three-storey home. She could not escape and died at the scene. A golden retriever named Sunny also died. In the hours after the incident, Inspector Murray was adamant Ms Tangey was the victim of a bungled attack, where the men targeted the wrong home. Appealing for information in April, Inspector Murray called the arsonists 'low lives'. 'There are people out there who are talking and who are providing information,' he said at the time.
Fox News
08-06-2025
- Fox News
Wife of Colorado firebombing suspect brought Jewish neighbors welcome gift weeks prior to attack
BOULDER, Colo. – An observant Jewish couple described the horror of finding out that their neighbor, whose wife recently knocked on their door with a housewarming gift, was suspected of firebombing a peaceful pro-Israel demonstration in the heart of Boulder. The Costello family had barely begun unpacking boxes in their new Colorado Springs home when the FBI showed up at their doorstep and explained a neighbor, illegal Egyptian immigrant Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, was arrested for allegedly injuring 12 people in front of the Boulder County courthouse. "I come home, and the FBI is waiting at my door. That's a scary moment," David Costello shared with Fox News Digital. "They told us, 'You're not in trouble,' but then they asked if we knew what happened in Boulder." The Costellos said they knew of the Solimans, having met Soliman's wife when she showed up on their front steps offering cupcakes to welcome them to the neighborhood. "The wife came over and gave us some cupcakes," David said. "We keep kosher, so we couldn't eat them, but we accepted them and then we just sort of threw them away." Unaware of the prior interaction, FBI agents told the Costellos it was important they were aware of the terror attack due to their visible Jewish identity, the couple said, with the family proudly displaying a mezuzah on the door. "He had to have driven right past our house to get to Boulder," David said. "He surely saw us moving in [wearing a] tzitzit and a kippah, and my wife's head being covered. It is really by the grace of Hashem, that we weren't attacked.… It's pretty obvious that we're Jewish, like he could have easily just thrown a Molotov cocktail at our door—we don't have an exit through the back—that would have been absolutely disastrous for us." Because the Costellos do not use phones or electronic devices during religious holidays, they had no access to news due to their observance of Shavuot. Their only awareness of the incident came through people knocking on their door asking for interviews and eventually the FBI sharing what had happened. "I didn't realize how big the story was until I turned on my phone after the holiday," David's wife, Rivkah, said. "We moved here to lie low, but suddenly we were in the headlines." The couple had left their former neighborhood due to what they described as persistent anti-Israel activism and discomfort in a Muslim-majority area. David said they were seeking "a place to go and be under the radar." Soliman is currently being held on a $10 million bond and faces multiple charges, including attempted murder and federal hate crimes. According to authorities, he admitted to planning the attack for over a year and expressed a desire to harm "Zionist people." "It's unnerving," Rivkah said. "They said bail was set at $10 million, but that still means there's a possibility he could be released—and we live right across the street. We have five young children. This is terrifying." "I hope people understand what that means for a Jewish family living across the street from someone accused of terrorism," she said. WATCH: Boulder suspect attacks pro-Israel supporters David said the holiday of Shavuot, which celebrates Jewish unity, made the timing of the FBI visit especially meaningful. "We really felt like it was a miracle. While symbols like a mezuzah might make you a target, they also offer spiritual protection," he said. The couple and their family shared that their hope is that antisemitic sentiment does not continue to escalate. "We really don't want to move again," David said. "But if it becomes dangerous, we may not have a choice." We're choosing to stand. Despite the fear, they say the experience has only strengthened their commitment to staying visible and vocal about their faith. "When you're pushed, you can either disappear or stand your ground," David said. "We're choosing to stand."
CBS News
06-06-2025
- CBS News
ATF offers $5,000 reward for tips after Tesla hit by Molotov cocktails in Kansas
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is offering a $5,000 reward for information related to a Tesla firebombing in Kansas in April. Security cameras captured a suspect throwing two lit Molotov cocktails at the back of a Tesla collision center in Lenexa, Kansas, around 1:05 a.m. on April 3, 2025, the ATF said in a news release. The suspect drove to and from the scene in a vehicle, the ATF said. The suspect has not been identified and the ATF did not describe the vehicle. Investigators have labeled the incident an "intentional act of arson," the ATF said. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and local police are also investigating. "This was a calculated attack that could have caused significant harm," said ATF Kansas City Special Agent in Charge Bernard Hansen in the news release. ATF Kansas City Field Division is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information related to the April 3, 2025, firebombing at a Tesla collision center in Lenexa. At about 1:05 a.m., a suspect exited a car, threw two Molotov cocktails at the collision center and left in a vehicle seen in the top left corner of the provided video. The fire was an intentional act of arson and investigators are seeking public assistance to identify the suspect and advance the investigation. 'This was a calculated attack that could have caused significant harm,' said ATF Kansas City Special Agent in Charge Bernard Hansen. 'We're working closely with our partners at the FBI and Lenexa Police to identify the individual responsible, and we need the public's help. If you saw something or know something—even if it seems minor—now is the time to speak up.' This case is being worked in conjunction with the FBI Kansas City Field Office and the Lenexa Police Department. Anyone with information is urged to contact FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324). Read more at Posted by ATF on Friday, June 6, 2025 Anyone with information about the attack is asked to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI. To be eligible for the ATF reward, a person's tip must lead to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the attack, the agency said. Tipsters looking to receive reward money must leave their name and contact information, the ATF said. "If you saw something or know something—even if it seems minor—now is the time to speak up," Hansen said. The incident is one of several attacks on Tesla vehicles and facilities since President Trump returned to office in January. Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, served as a senior advisor to Trump and led the controversial Department of Government Efficiency, also known as DOGE. A man was charged with arson and other charges in connection with an attack that damaged multiple Teslas at a Las Vegas dealership in March 2025. Another man was arrested and charged in connection with an arson attack at a New Mexico Tesla facility in February. Tesla showrooms and facilities also became the site of protests in the early months of Trump's second term.
