Nara Resident, Upset With Abe: Who Is Yamagami Tetsuya, Ex-Japan PM's Shooter?

Video Producer/Editor: Shohini Bose

Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe died on Friday, 8 July, after he was shot at in the city of Nara. A large plume of smoke was visible in the videos making rounds on the internet as Abe collapsed on stage.

The 67-year-old showed no vital signs and was not breathing. His heart stopped while being airlifted to the hospital for the gunshot wound. Abe passed away later in the day.

The suspected shooter was tackled by security personnel after the attack.

Who Is the Suspect? Why Did He Shoot Abe? What Gun Did He Use?

• The shooter was identified as 41-year-old Yamagami Tetsuya, who has been arrested for attempted murder. A gun was confiscated from him.

• Tetsuya is reportedly a former Maritime Self-Defence Force member, according to The Japan Times.

• He is said to be a resident of Nara City, and was believed to be standing 10 feet behind the former prime minister when he fired at him.

• While the police had earlier suspected that a shotgun was used, Sasaki Yohei, the head of Japan’s hunters’ association Dainihon Ryoyukai, reportedly said that the weapon used in the attack was a self-modified gun.

• He told Japanese media house NHK that the sound of the firing does not match that of a shotgun and that the amount of smoke spread after the shooting is too much for it to be an ordinary gun.

• Meanwhile, witnesses had reported hearing a “dry, popping sound”, said the Japanese media report.

• NHK quoted the suspect as telling police that he was dissatisfied with Abe and wanted to kill him.

• "The suspect stated that he held a grudge against a particular organisation, and that he committed the crime because he believed former prime minister Abe had a connection to it," a senior police officer told reporters in Japan.

• A witness to the attack told NHK that the apparent shooter did not attempt to escape after the shooting. He instead laid the gun down and remained on the spot.

(With inputs from NHK and The Japan Times.)