New Delhi: Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe died in hospital Friday after being fatally shot during an election speech in the city of Nara, in western Japan.
The country’s longest-serving prime minister was 67.
While addressing a crowd in a street, Abe was dramatically fired from behind with a shotgun.
A bleeding Abe was taken to hospital in an unconscious state, amid reports that he was in a state of cardio-respiratory arrest.
The killer has been identified as Tetsuya Yamagami, a resident of Nara city, who is in his 40s.
Shortly before Abe passed, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida could barely control his emotions when he said Abe was in a grave condition.
He said: “This attack is an act of brutality that happened during the elections — the very foundation of our democracy — and is absolutely unforgivable.”
Officials had said that Abe was in a state of cardiac arrest when he was airlifted to the hospital. He was wounded on the right side of his neck and left clavicle.
Japanese television showed Abe’s wife Akie on her way to the hospital by train.
Forty-year-old Tetsuya Yamagami told the police that he was dissatisfied with Abe and wanted to kill him, according to Japanese broadcaster NHK.
He caught Abe from behind when he was delivering a campaign speech outside a train station. Two shots rang out around 11.30 am local time.
Also read: Why the shooting of Shinzo Abe is a huge shock for Japan and the world
Source: The Print
