The suspect in a stabbing spree that left seven people dead in Tokyo's Akihabara electric town on Sunday had posted an advance notice about his plans for the crime on a mobile phone site just hours before the rampage, police said.

Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) said it had received reports that there were similar entries on an Internet site accessible from personal computers. Officers were on alert but could not prevent the fatal rampage.

Tomohiro Kato, 25, the suspect in the random street stabbing on Sunday afternoon, told police that he had announced his plan to assault people on a mobile phone site between the early morning hours of Sunday and shortly past noon on the same day.

The MPD has confiscated Kato's mobile phone and is analyzing its communication records.

Kato first announced his crime on a mobile phone site at 5:21 a.m. on Sunday, according to MPD investigators. The message he posted was titled, "I will kill people in Akihabara," and started with the lines: "I will drive into a crowd, then I will use a knife after I've finished with the vehicle. Goodbye everyone."

He later apparently entered such messages as: "It's about time. Let's go," (at 6:31 a.m.); "Well, I don't care. Even though it's going to be a small-scale attack, I will do it even if it rains," (7:47 a.m.); "It's a day for pedestrian paradise today, isn't it?" (11:45 a.m.); "It's about time," (12:10 p.m.)

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