Shinzo Abe, 67, the former prime minister of Japan was assassinated by a gunman in the western city of Nara on Friday. He is the longest-serving prime minister of the land of rising sun.
Abe was shot while he was campaigning for a candidate ahead of national elections.
Police arrested a suspect, Tetsuya Yamagami, aged 41, on an initial charge of attempted murder before the former prime minister’s death was announced. The gunman is a former member of the Maritime Self-Defense Force, according to local media, on suspicion of attempted murder and retrieved what appeared to be a handmade gun from the vicinity.
“Shinzo Abe was transported to (the hospital) at 12:20 pm. He was in a state of cardiac arrest upon arrival. Resuscitation was administered. However, unfortunately he died at 5:03 pm,” said Hidetada Fukushima, professor of emergency medicine at Nara Medical University hospital.
Abe fell to the ground around 11:30 Friday while giving a speech in Nara, western Japan. Two shots were heard in the vicinity and he was shot from behind.
He was rushed to the Nara Medical University Hospital in Kashihara City.
Police said the suspect told investigators that he was “dissatisfied” with the former prime minister and intended to kill him, NHK reported.
