Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been declared dead in the hospital after he was assassinated during a campaign sortie in Nara City on Friday, July 8.
News sources said Abe was shot from the back in the neck and chest with an improvised weapon, a two-barrel "homemade" gun using an "electric firing mechanism." A clear photo of the gunman was uploaded on Facebook.
According to NDTV, the 41-year-old man who attacked Abe is a former member of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) and was disgruntled at the late politician.
The suspect, whose name was not disclosed as of yet, was tackled on the street and immediately arrested after he fired at Abe at more or less three meters from the platform where the former official was speaking, as can be seen clearly on this Facebook video sourced out from Telegram.
Japan has strict gun control laws, but trained and licensed individuals and hunters can own an airgun or a shotgun. The weapon used by the gunman to kill Abe looks like a short shotgun wrapped in black tape and appears to be non-commercially manufactured.
Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was giving a speech to campaign for reelectionist Kei Sato, a Liberal Democratic Party member, when he was shot. He was almost 68 years old at the time of his death.