The pictures show Abe, who served as Japan’s longest-serving leader, addressing a crowd of supporters in Nara, Japan, and grinning as they applaud.
A masked man with an innocent appearance stood a few feet behind them, sporting military-style pants and a bag slung over his back.
Tetsuya Yamagami, a 41-year-old veteran who was reportedly angry after serving in the military, sneaked up on Abe shortly after the divisive politician began speaking, and shot him dead. The attack drew immediate condemnation from world leaders.
During his passionate speech, Abe, wearing a navy blue suit, is captured on camera raising his fist. The camera then begins to shake as two loud shots are fired.
The next scene in the video shows Abe passing out in the street as security personnel rush to help. His shirt is covered in blood, and he holds his chest.
from REUTERS
Immediately after, security personnel tackle the same man who was just behind the politician in the photo and knock him to the ground.
Nearby, a sizable double-barreled weapon is visible on the ground. In light of the fact that Abe was shot in a nation with some of the strictest gun laws in the world, it appears that the weapon was handcrafted at home.
Getty Images for The Asahi Shimbun
Getty Images for The Asahi Shimbun
AFP via Getty Images for Yomiuri Shimbun
When the former prime minister was airlifted to a hospital for emergency care, his heart had stopped and he was not breathing.
Abe passed away at 5:03 p.m. local time, or roughly five and a half hours after being shot, despite doctors’ best efforts.
A doctor revealed at a nationally broadcast news conference that the victim died from two deep wounds, one of which was on the right side of his neck. When he was brought in, the former leader’s vital signs were nonexistent.
Since the height of prewar militarism in 1936, it was the first time a Japanese premier—current or former—had been assassinated.
Yamagami, 41, was detained on suspicion of attempted murder, according to Nara Prefectural Police.
According to NHK, the suspect served in the Maritime Self-Defense Force for three years in the 2000s and told police that he “was angry with the former prime minister and targeted Abe with the intention of killing him.”
