Japan arrests man over 30 hamster killings

Police in Japan said Tuesday they had arrested a 36-year-old high school staffer in Iwate over the alleged killing of about 30 hamsters at a hotel, weeks after he was detained in a separate case involving around 20 hamsters.

Hiroyuki Nasu, a senior police official in Miyako, said the man was arrested Monday over "gratuitous killings" in late March, allegedly carried out with a 20-year-old woman in violation of animal protection laws. The woman has also been arrested.

Nasu said the suspect's phone contained videos of the killings and text messages with the woman that showed planning. He quoted one message as asking where they would kill hamsters "and have fun".

Police first detained the man in July over the separate February killing of around 20 hamsters with a 19-year-old woman, who has also been arrested. Nasu said police would investigate whether the suspect committed other similar acts.