Police plan to decide within this week whether to publicly identify a man in his 70s accused of setting fire to two office buildings in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam District, Seoul, injuring 19 people.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said on the 27th that it will convene a review committee on the disclosure of personal information this week to deliberate on whether to identify the suspect, surnamed A, who has been detained on charges of arson of an occupied building causing injury.
Under the current law on disclosing the identities of suspects in specific serious crimes, personal information may be released when three conditions are met: the crime was committed by cruel means and caused grave harm, there is sufficient evidence to believe the suspect committed the offense, and disclosure is necessary for the public interest, including the public's right to know, the prevention of repeat offenses and crime prevention.
A is accused of setting fire to the fourth floor of the Hanyang Building in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam District, at about 11:51 a.m. on the 20th, then starting a second fire on the third floor of the nearby Shinmyung Building at about 12:01 p.m. A total of 19 people were injured in the two fires. Among them, a patent attorney was taken to a hospital in cardiac arrest and is receiving treatment.
Police are considering adding an attempted murder charge based on indications that A had gone to find a specific person at the time of the crime, sources said. Investigators are also checking whether the suspect has a history of mental illness and plan to bring in profilers during the week to analyze the motive. Police said they will weigh the findings of the investigation and decide by the 30th whether to refer the case to prosecutors.