Shinzo Abe assassination: Everything known about shooter Tetsuya Yamagami
Calm and in a matter-of-fact voice, Tetsuya Yamagami allegedly told police why he shot ex-Japanese PM Shinzo Abe. Here’s all that is known about the former Naval officer.
Unemployed 41-year-old Tetsuya Yamagami was named as the suspect in the assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
The 67-year-old was giving a speech in support of a Liberal Democratic Party candidate. A man was seen to silently approach within a few feet of Abe before two loud shots were heard to ring out.
The suspected shooter did not attempt to run before he was tackled by two security guards.
Doctors at Nara Medical University Hospital said Abe received two bullet wounds to his neck, about one inch apart, and also suffered damage to his heart.
Despite efforts to save him, he died of blood loss within five hours.
This is everything currently known about the suspected shooter.
SUSPECT TETSUYA YAMAGAMI
Yamagami is believed to be a resident of Nara City, the capital of the landlocked Nara prefecture in Japan, about 45 km south of Kyoto.
He was wearing a grey T-shirt, khaki trousers, and a white face mask and was seen in a photo taken moments before the attack to be carrying a black bag.
He told officers he had worked for the Maritime Self-Defense Force -- Japan’s navy -- for three years from 2002 to 2005, but these details are also under investigation.
The Japanese-language site FNN reported that he was an officer in the Self-Defence Force, which was set up after World War II. As part of the post-war constitution, Japan pledged never to maintain land, sea or air forces.
Abe had pushed for Constitutional revisions to ensure “the presence of the Self-Defense Forces (SDF)” was “specified in its Article 9.”
Yamagami told police he had learned about Abe’s visit online, the officers said.
GRUDGE AGAINST RELIGIOUS GROUP
Police say Yamagami responded calmly to questions and spoke matter-of-factly in admitting that he targeted Abe.
He told police that he held a grudge against an organisation and he believed rumours that Abe was connected to it.
Police declined to give details of the “particular organisation” mentioned by the suspect, saying investigations were ongoing, but several Japanese media outlets described it as a religious group.
Further confusion was caused when the Mainichi newspaper reported the suspect was targeting a religious leader who wasn’t attending the rally.
A HOMEMADE SHOTGUN
The murder weapon appeared to be a homemade gun that has been described as a large, double-barrelled shotgun.
He voluntarily handed over the weapon after he was tackled to the ground.
“That’s the suspect’s assertion, and we have determined that (the gun) is clearly handmade in appearance, although our analysis is currently ongoing,” an officer told reporters.
Images from the scene show the makeshift firearm with exposed wires and two tubes held together with black tape.
Yamagami received life-firearms training while a member of the Maritime Self-Defence Force, according to Japan’s Ministry of Defence quoted in The Asahi Shimbun newspaper.
“The weapon used by Abe’s assailant made a noise that could be compared to an explosion, and white smoke rose into the air after it was discharged,” read a report by Kyodo News.
“A gunpowder-like smell could be detected afterwards.”
POLICE INVESTIGATION
Police searched the suspect’s home, seized a computer, and reportedly found explosives and other homemade weapons, according to local media.
Officers in protective gear began searching the suspect’s home after 5 pm and confiscated “several handmade gun-like items” similar to the one that used to shoot Abe.
Local media reported that police also found explosives and other homemade weapons. Controlled explosions were carried out by bomb disposal experts.
Police were also investigating whether the assassination was possible due to a lack of security at the campaign event.
“We will take appropriate measures if problems were discovered,” they said.
- with AFP
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Originally published as Shinzo Abe assassination: Everything known about shooter Tetsuya Yamagami
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