Tetsuya Yamagami, a navy veteran, was taken into custody for attempted murder immediately after Shinzo Abe, Japan’s longest-serving Prime Minister, was shot at in the city of Nara around 11.30 AM local time on Friday. The Liberal Democratic Party leader reportedly died in the hospital.
Abe, 67, was airlifted to a hospital. He was later pronounced dead despite emergency treatment that included massive blood transfusions, hospital officials said, as per the Associated Press.
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Nara Medical University emergency department chief Hidetada Fukushima said Abe suffered major damage to his heart in addition to two neck wounds that damaged an artery, causing extensive bleeding. He was in a state of cardio and pulmonary arrest when he arrived at the hospital and never regained his vital signs, Fukushima said.
Abe was rallying support for a local candidate ahead of parliamentary elections on Sunday when a man approached him from behind, two witnesses told NHK. Nobody seemed injured after the first gunshot was heard but the former PM fell to the ground after the second one, they added.
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Yamagami, who is 41, as per reports, used a home-made shotgun to assasinate Abe. Police reportedly said that he has confessed revealing that he wanted to kill the politician because he was ‘dissatisfied’ with him.
As per Fuji TV, the alleged shooter is a had been in the service till 2005. However, officials are yet to make an official announcement.
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Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his Cabinet ministers hastily returned to Tokyo from campaign events around the country after the shooting, which he called “dastardly and barbaric.”
“I use the harshest words to condemn (the act),” Kishida said as he struggled to control his emotions. He said the government planned to review the security situation, but added that Abe had the highest protection.
