Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a arch-conservative and one of the nation’s most powerful and influential figures, has died after being shot during a campaign speech Friday in western Japan. Abe, 67, was shot from behind minutes after he started his speech in Nara. He was airlifted to a hospital for emergency treatment but was not breathing and his heart had stopped. He was later pronounced dead despite emergency treatment that included massive blood transfusions, hospital officials said.
In the next moment, security guards leap on top of a man in gray shirt who lies face down on the pavement. A double-barreled device that appeared to be a handmade gun is seen on the ground. Nara prefectural police confirmed the arrest of Tetsuya Yamagami, 41, on suspicion of attempted murder.
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Police arrested the suspected gunman at the scene of an attack that shocked many in Japan, which is one of the world’s safest nations and has some of the strictest gun control laws anywhere.
Shinzo Abe was a Japanese politician who served as prime minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 2020. He was the longest-serving prime minister in Japanese history.