Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was fatally shot this Friday in the city of Nara, west of the country.
The politician was assassinated while delivering a campaign speech at a political event for the senatorial elections scheduled for Sunday, when gunshots were heard, reported the national Japanese channel NHK and the news agency Kyodo.
Shinzo Abe, 67, collapsed and was bleeding from the neck, a source from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) told the Jiji news agency. He was shot from behind, probably with a rifle, according to several Japanese media. He was rushed to a hospital by helicopter and local media reported that he showed no signs of life.
“A man suspected of being the shooter has been arrested. Mr. Abe’s condition is currently unknown,” government secretary general Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters. In a quick statement, the current Japanese prime minister said his predecessor was in “a very serious condition.”
“He was giving a speech and a man came from behind,” a young woman at the scene told NHK. “The first shot sounded like a toy. It didn’t fall and there was a loud bang. The second shot was more visible, you could see the spark and smoke,” she added. “After the second shot, people surrounded him and gave him CPR.”
Citing police sources, the public television channel NHK said that a man in his forties had been arrested for the murder and his weapon had been confiscated.
Shinzo Abe was Japan’s longest serving prime minister. He was in office in 2006 for one year and then again from December 2012 to September 2020.
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