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A suspect in the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told police on Friday that he wanted to kill the former Prime Minister with dissatisfaction, but said he did not exceed his political beliefs.
Tetsuya Yamagami from Nara, where 67-year-old Prime Minister Abe was shot dead during his speech, has been charged with attempted murder. However, according to Japanese broadcaster NHK, local police are expected to be upgraded to murder.
“Former Prime Minister Abe was speaking normally, but a man came from behind. The first shot heard only a very loud noise and the person did not fall. But the moment the second shot was shot, Abe The former Prime Minister has fallen, “the witness told NHK. ” [suspect] It didn’t look like he had run away, he stayed there and the gun was there. ”
The killings sent shock waves all over the world and throughout Japan. And it’s a strict country with the infamous gun ownership law.
Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe assassinated during a campaign speech
According to police, Yamagami calmly answered questions, admitted that he had attacked Prime Minister Abe, and killed him because he believed in rumors about a former leader’s relationship with a specific organization not identified by police. He told the investigator that he had planned to do so.
A defense ministry official who spoke to NHK said the gun used to assassinate Prime Minister Abe seems to be homemade, and the suspect Yamagami worked for the national Maritime Self-Defense Force for three years between 2002 and 2005. Said that.
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“The weapons used by Prime Minister Abe’s perpetrators made a noise comparable to an explosion, and after being released, white smoke rose into the air. After that, a gunpowder-like odor was detected,” said Friday. I read the report of Kyodo News. One of the journalists on the scene added that the weapons seemed to be held together with duct tape.
According to NHK, Prime Minister Abe was struck about 2 minutes and 20 seconds after his speech.
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According to the broadcaster, the video shot before the shoot shows Yamagami standing near the sidewalk behind Abe and scanning the surroundings.
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Then he took something out of his bag and walked slowly towards Abe, a few yards away from him, before raising the gun and firing, the station added.
After his arrest, police also discovered a possible explosive in the Yamagami family’s apartment in Nara, NHK reported.
Police confiscated similar weapons and his computer.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.