The suspect in the random street killings in Tokyo's Akihabara electric town waited for a pedestrian-only period when the streets were filled with crowds before going on his rampage, police said.

"I knew that the streets would be crowded after the 'pedestrian paradise' started at noon," Tomohiro Kato, 25, the suspect in the random killing that left seven dead and 10 injured on Sunday, told police.

Kato informed police that he had parked a rented truck near the crime scene and waited until the vehicle-free period started before going on the rampage.

According to police, Kato posted a message on an Internet mobile phone site at around 5:21 a.m. on Sunday, which read, "I will kill people in Akihabara." At 8 a.m. the same day, Kato rented a truck from a car rental company in front of JR Numazu Station in Shizuoka Prefecture and drove to Tokyo.

At 11:45 a.m., he posted another online message, which read, "I have arrived in Akihabara," and police believe he had to wait before the pedestrian-only period on Chuo Dori started.

Police suspect that Kato parked the truck along Chuo Dori about 100 meters north of the crime scene and apparently killed time by using a bathroom at a retailer.

At 12:10 p.m., he posted a message on the online site: "It's about time," and at around 12:30 p.m. he drove the truck into the intersection after ignoring a red light, police said.

"I wanted to cause an incident in Akihabara as I had visited there many times," Kato was quoted as telling police.

Police also found that Kato was in possession of a total of three knives when he assaulted pedestrians.

Asked why he had erased the communication records and address book of his mobile phone before the incident, Kato told police, "I didn't want to cause trouble to those around me." Investigators suspect that he tried to prevent his friends and acquaintances from being questioned by police.

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