Japan’s former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was delivering a speech when he was shot, apparently in the chest. Abe was rushed to a hospital bleeding and showing no vital signs after the attack. He may have gone into cardiac arrest, as per local media reports. The image from the spot showed several ambulances and emergency response teams trying to rescue him.
A man in his 40s had been arrested for attempted murder and a gun had been confiscated from him, said National broadcaster NHK, citing police sources. He was giving a speech and a man came from behind,” a young woman at the scene told NHK.
According to reports, Shinzo Abe collapsed after the second shot was fired. Several media outlets reported that he appeared to have been shot from behind, possibly with a shotgun.
Japan is a country with some of the strictest gun laws among leading economies and shootings are rare.
Abe, Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, held office in 2006 for one year and again from 2012 to 2020, when he was forced to step down due to the debilitating bowel condition ulcerative colitis.
Suspect in His 40s, Gun Confiscated: Report
A man was arrested for attempted murder after former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe was apparently shot on Friday while delivering a stump speech, local media reported. The man appeared to be in his 40s and a gun had been confiscated, said public broadcaster NHK, citing police sources. Local police were not immediately able to comment when contacted by AFP.
Large Bang, Sounded Like a Toy’: Here’s What Eyewitnesses Say After Shinzo Abe Shot At
“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. He didn’t fall and there was a large 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 cardiac massage.” Abe, 67, collapsed and was bleeding from the neck, a source from his ruling Liberal Democratic Party told the Jiji news
Japan’s Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe In ‘Cardiac Arrest’ After Being Shot In City of Nara
Former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe was shot in Nara on Thursday, Japanese news agencies reported. Japanese media outlet NHK and the Japan Times said that Abe was shot at while he was giving a speech in the Japanese city. The former prime minister’s attacker was caught by the police. The incident occurred at around 11:30pm (local time). The assailant was a male.