The Bomb Threat Sent from a PlayStation 3

On July 22nd, at around 3am in the morning, a mysterious message appeared on Japanese bulletin board 2channel. It read: “Tomorrow, I will blow up Hiroshima rummy master Station.” Japanese cyber police rummy modern set to work, trying to stop the would-be bomber. Good thing he made their job easier—way easier.(new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=995c4c7d-194f-4077-b0a0-7ad466eb737c&cid=872d12ce-453b-4870-845f-955919887e1b'; cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "995c4c7d-194f-4077-b0a0-7ad466eb737c" }).render("79703296e5134c75a2db6e1b64762017"); }); The police traced the message to the would-be bomber’s IP address, discovering that the threat was sent from a PlayStation 3—something posted on 2channel later that same night. The following day, on July 23, the police arrested an unemployed 19-year-old in Hiroshima City for the threats, Nikkan Sports reports. The bomb threat as well as threats against the station master were posted from the 19-year-old’s house. This is the second time this year a suspect was arrested after apparently using a game machine to post threats online. Earlier this year, 15-year-old threatened to randomly stab people in Shinjuku Station. https://kotaku.com/how-the-nintendo-dsi-stopped-a-killer-5759689 There seems to be a belief in Japan, an incorrect belief, that if you post something from either a home game console or a handheld, it is impossible to trace. The threat was posted online via a DSi, and the police successfully traced it, arresting the 15-year-old. Based on discussions I’ve rummy nabob had and comments made by Japanese netizens, there seems to be a belief in Japan, an incorrect belief, that if you post something from either a home game console or a handheld, it is impossible to trace. This is incorrect—something the 15-year-old found out first hand. He told authorities, “I just wanted to see how much chaos it would cause.” Shortly there after, the boy’s 19-year-old brother also made stabbing threats online. He was arrested near Shinjuku Station, brandishing a knife and saying, “I’m going to kill someone.” https://kotaku.com/the-dsi-didnt-stop-this-slasher-the-cops-did-5762942 The suspect in this latest arrest in Hiroshima is less revealing about his motive, saying, “I don’t want to say” when police asked why he made the bomb threat. Culture Smash is a daily dose of things topical, interesting and sometimes even awesome—game related and beyond. (Top photo: アーク)