The AWOL US sailor who’s credit card was found left in the taxi of a murdered cab driver is now in the custody of US Naval authorities:

The Yokosuka sailor sought for information about a slain taxi driver was found by U.S. Navy authorities Saturday and taken into U.S. custody.

Naval Criminal Investigative Service agents picked up the sailor around 3:40 a.m. in the Tokyo area of Gotanda and he is currently being held at Yokosuka Naval Base, said Commander U.S. Forces Japan spokesman Cmdr. David Waterman. [Stars & Stripes]

The sailor denies any involvement with the murder:

A wayward sailor taken into custody by the U.S. Navy on Saturday has denied being involved in the slaying of a taxi driver found dead in his cab Wednesday in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, U.S. military sources said.

The U.S. Naval Forces Japan on Saturday found and apprehended the seaman, whose credit card was found in the taxi of the driver after he had been stabbed to death, Japanese police said. [Japan Times]

As it turns out the 22 year old sailor is a Nigerian-American and his involvement in the murder case is making huge headlines in Japan and causing more protests against the US military in Japan:

However, what is the most interesting part of the Stars & Stripes article which these people protesting could care less about, is that the Japanese authorities said that the sailor is not even considered a suspect:

The Kanagawa Prefectural Police believe the sailor has some information on the stabbing since a credit card in his name was found in the taxi, a police spokesman said Saturday. However, he said the sailor was not a suspect and that he did not know if police would question the sailor, only that they planned to coordinate with the Navy on the investigation.

The Japanese authorities figure that the cab driver’s last passenger he picked up at JR Shinagawa Station in Tokyo was the killer.  Could the police have video of the passenger getting into the cab from the station and that could be why the sailor is not considered a suspect?  The police obviously know a lot more then what they are letting on. 

Flowers left at the Yokosuka murder scene.

Just like with the Okinawa rape case that was debunked, you have to wait and allow the investigation to take place before jumping to conclusions.  Maybe the sailor is the murderer and maybe he isn’t.  I’m confident the Japanese police will get to the bottom of it.  If the sailor is the murderer then he will be held accountable according to Japanese law and imprisoned just like any other USFJ servicemember that commits a crime in Japan. 

Also if he is involved it should still be taken in the context that USFJ personnel commit fewer crimes per capita then the general Japanese population.  Once again, not that the people protesting really care.