via Associated PressTetsuya Yamagami, right after his act against Shinzo Abe, in Nara, Japan on July 8, 2022.
JAPAN — Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot dead amid a campaign rally in Nara on Friday, July 8, a murder that caused great emotion in Japan and abroad.
The suspect arrested for this crime, a 41-year-old unemployed man, Tetsuya Yamagami, confessed to deliberately attacking Shinzo Abe and said he was angry at an organization he believed to be linked to, police said.
The latter refused to give details of the “special organization” mentioned by the alleged gunman because investigations are ongoing but several Japanese media outlets have mentioned a religious group.
“We determined that (the weapon used) was clearly homemade, although an analysis is currently underway,” a police official told the press.
The suspect was photographed at the scene holding a large black square object that appeared to have two barrels (see the photo at the top of the article).
According to NHK, after his arrest, he told investigators he was “frustrated” with Shinzo Abe and shot him with intent to kill him.
He worked for the Maritime Self-Defense Force for three years
Police searched his home on Friday, where potentially explosive products were found, according to the public broadcaster.
Tetsuya Yamagami would have made his own firearm, while restrictions against these guns in Japan are extremely strict and it is very difficult to get a gun port.
The suspect, a Nara resident, told police he had worked for the Maritime Self-Defense Force – the Japanese Navy – for three years since 2002.
Tetsuya Yamagami also confided to them that he found out about Shinzo Abe’s visit through the internet.
In the morning, Shinzo Abe, 67, was shot twice in the neck during a campaign rally in Nara. He was quickly transported by helicopter to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead a few hours later, despite the efforts of a team of twenty doctors.
See also on The HuffPost: Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot dead in an attack