NARA, Japan — In a country that’s known to be one of the safest, Japan’s former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated Friday during a campaign speech, and the shooter carried out the act with what appeared to be a homemade gun.
Abe, 67, was shot from behind minutes after he started his speech in Nara, the Associated Press reported. He later died after undergoing emergency treatment at the hospital.
Doctors who treated Abe say he suffered major heart damage, a pair of neck wounds, and a damaged artery that caused significant bleeding.
The suspected shooter, Tetsuya Yamagami, was detained near the site of the gunshots. The attack came as a shock to many since Japan is home to some of the strictest gun control laws in the world.
Public television NHK aired video of Abe collapsing after two gunshots rang out. A double-barreled device that appeared to be a handmade gun wrapped with pipes and duct tape was also seen on the ground.
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