More On: Tetsuya Yamagami
Who is Tetsuya Yamagami? Why he shot former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ?
Tetsuya Yamagami, 41, a military veteran, was arrested at the scene on suspicion of attempted murder
Shinzo Abe, a former Japanese prime minister, is currently in critical condition in a hospital after being shot in the back and neck during a campaign address in the south of the nation.
Abe, 67, the longest-serving prime minister in Japan (in office from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 until 2020), was shot at around 11.30 a.m. local time in the city of Nara, which is close to Osaka.
In an update from Tokyo, Japan's capital, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said that Abe is in "grave condition" in the hospital and that he is "praying" that he gets better. Abe's younger brother and former minister of defense, Nobuo Kishi, said that the politician is getting blood transfusions to try to save his life.
Tetsuya Yamagami, a 41-year-old military veteran who was thought to be the shooter, was stopped by security and arrested at the scene on suspicion of attempted murder. Police also took away what looked like a homemade shotgun.
Witnesses said Yamagami came up behind Abe, who was surrounded by security, and fired two shots while the politician was giving a speech before Sunday's parliamentary elections. After the second shot, he fell down, and blood was all over his shirt.
Kishida called the shooting an attack on 'the foundation of democracy', describing it as 'heinous', 'barbaric and malicious', and 'absolutely unforgivable'. 'I would like to use the most extreme words available to condemn this act,' he added.
The shooting is a deeply shocking development in a country with famously low levels of violent crime and extremely tough gun laws, involving Japan's best-known politician.
Kishida said the motivation for the attack is unknown, but the fact that it was carried out so close to the upcoming elections and during a campaign speech 'cannot be ignored'.
At the police station, Yamagami reportedly said that he shot former PM Abe since he was dissatisfied with him. Cops at the police station are listening to Yamagami’s statement, news agency NHK reported.
The report by Japanese news agency NHK also revealed that Yamagami worked for the Maritime Self-Defense Force for three years until around 2005.
Yamagami was immediately held by security officials and pinned to the ground, according to pictures and videos on social media.
Authorities are still trying to figure out the motive behind the attack.
