Attacker foretold mayhem in messages

TOKYO — The final, chilling posting read, "It's time."

In the hours before a 25-year-old man went on a killing rampage in central Tokyo on Sunday, he posted a series of messages on an online-bulletin board from his cellphone, the authorities said Monday.

The attacker, identified by the police as Tomohiro Kato, an auto-parts worker, described his intention of using his vehicle and knife to kill people in the central Tokyo district of Akihabara, a center for electronics and a magnet for fans of Japanese comics.

The first message to the thread, titled "I will kill people in Akihabara," was sent at 5:21 a.m. on Sunday. In ensuing posts, Kato described leaving his home just west of Tokyo, heading to the capital and worrying that rain could hamper his plans. He wrote about arriving in Akihabara at 11:45 a.m. The final post was at 12:10 p.m.

Twenty minutes later, he plowed his rental truck into a crowd of pedestrians before stabbing passers-by with a survival knife. Seven people died and 11 were injured.

As mourners, some weeping, piled Japanese comics, flowers and other mementoes at the scene of the rampage Monday, the government sought to impose tighter controls over large knives and provide better security in public places.

Japanese authorities grappled with possible explanations for the attack, the latest in a string of assaults in recent years.

There were signs of trouble in Kato's life. Last week, he lost his temper at the factory where he worked in Shizuoka, 100 miles southwest of Tokyo, said company exec Osamu Namai.

"He was screaming that his uniform was missing. When his colleague got a new uniform for him, he had already left and never returned," Namai said.

Information from The Associated Press is included in this report.