#J-Rock Band ALI Suspends Activities After Arrest of Now-Former Drummer

Former ALI drummer Kahadio being arrested a second time in late April (Image via TBS News)

J-rock band ALI announced today that the band will suspend its activities until further notice due to the crimes allegedly committed by their now-former drummer Kahadio, as well as announcing that the drummer has withdrawn from the group and his contract with Sony Music has been canceled. 

In April, the drummer for ALI was arrested twice on the suspicion of committing communications fraud and then caught on camera taking the money from the scam out of an ATM in Tokyo. Kahadio confessed to taking the money out of the ATM to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police.

The first arrest came on April 8, which caused ALI’s record label Sony Music to request the production committee of The World Ends with You the Animation to remove ALI’s single “Teenage City Riot” as the opening theme song to the series, of which they obliged. ALI had previously performed the opening theme to BEASTARS and the first ending to JUJUTSU KAISEN.

The second arrest was on April 24, where Kahadio is suspected of scamming a 70-year-old woman from Osaka on March 3 by telling her that she’ll be reimbursed for her medical expenses if she pays around 2.31 million yen (US$21,400) to the bank account which Kahadio took money out of. 

In the posts on ALI’s website, the band apologized to the fans, the victims of the crimes, and vowed to give any support needed in the matter of the former band member.

Source: Nikkan Sport

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Daryl Harding is a Japan Correspondent for Crunchyroll News. He also runs a YouTube channel about Japan stuff called TheDoctorDazza, tweets at @DoctorDazza, and posts photos of his travels on Instagram.