Shinzo Abe's killer was allegedly 'dissatisfied' with ex-Japan PM: Police
Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe died on Friday after being shot at during a campaign rally. Japanese media reported Tetsuya Yamagami, the man who allegedly attacked Abe, told the police he was "dissatisfied" with Abe and intended to kill him. A former officer of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, the 41-year-old man opened fire on Abe apparently with a handmade gun, said reports.
What do we know about the incident?
Abe was giving an election speech outside a train station in Nara, Japan, when Yamagami shot at him. Security officers were then seen tackling the shooter dressed in a gray T-shirt and beige pants. Pictures/videos from the incident showed Abe collapsing and lying face-up on the street with blood on his shirt. People soon gathered around him as one person tried to revive him.
What did the police say?
Yamagami was taken to the Nara City Police Station, where the weapon he used was also checked. Japanese media reported the shotgun seemed to be handmade. Some reports said it seemed to be 3D printed. While the authorities have not released any other information on the attacker, some news outlets have stated that he is a former member of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.
PM Kishida strongly condemned the attack
Meanwhile, Japanese PM Fumio Kishida denounced the attack "strongly." "Everything that can be done is being done to revive him. I'm praying from the depths of my heart that his life will be saved," Kishida said in an emotional address to the media before Abe was declared dead, adding he wasn't aware of any motive. The assassination shocked the Japanese and world leaders alike.
Entire country in shock, people are perplexed
Soon after the attack on Abe, the entire country was perplexed as to how a citizen could obtain a gun in one of the world's safest countries and fire at a revered political leader. The assassin was apprehended immediately and the police took him for questioning. During the interrogation, Yamagami apparently admitted to killing Abe because he was "dissatisfied" with him.
Abe was the longest-serving PM of Japan
Notably, Abe was the longest-serving Japanese PM from 2012 to 2020 when he stepped down owing to chronic ulcerative colitis. He had earlier held office for a year in 2006, too, as Japan's youngest prime minister since World War II. Even after stepping down, he continued to have a dominant presence over the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), controlling one of its major factions.
