CEO shooting suspect ‘loved Japanese culture,’ says poker player who befriended him at restaurant

The Ivy league tech graduate charged with murdering UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson in Manhattan made multiple visits to Japan earlier this year, according to those who spoke with the alleged gunman.

The Ivy league tech graduate charged with murdering UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson in Manhattan made multiple visits to Japan earlier this year, according to those who spoke with the alleged gunman.

During one of his visits on Feb. 25, the suspect, Luigi Mangione, now 26, entered a restaurant in Tokyo where he sat at the counter, according to Obara Jun, a Japanese poker player who saw Mangione struggle with ordering in the restaurant.

“He was very friendly and it didn’t take long for us to get to know each other,” Jun told NBC News via text message Wednesday. 

The poker player posted a picture with Mangione to X the night they met, but only identified the man he spoke with as Mangione after his face was plastered all over social media this week as the suspect in Thompson’s murder.

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https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/ceo-shooting-suspect-mangione-japan-poker-player-rcna183719

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