Former Prime Minister Abe, 67, was giving a campaign speech in Nara City, Japan, and was shot from behind. He later died. Police immediately arrested a man in his 40s on the scene. There is no known motive currently. He was the longest uninterrupted serving Prime Minister of the country – having served 8 years – and resigned late 2020 for health reasons.
At around 11:30 AM, Prime Minister Abe went into cardiopulmonary arrest, meaning his heart had stopped and he was not breathing, as he was airlifted to Nara Medical University Hospital in Kashihara City by medical chopper. According to police, Abe was awake and responsive when he was put in the ambulance on the way to chopper, but died later.
🇯🇵 High quality footage of the former Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, being shot at from behind with an improvised double barreled shotgun. pic.twitter.com/kwoL1lf57r
— 🇺🇸mai🌟ke🇨🇦 (@maike809588) July 8, 2022
A nearby witness to NHK News said, “Abe was giving a speech normally, but a man came from behind. The first shot heard only a very loud sound and the person did not fall down. However, the moment the second shot was shot, former Prime Minister Abe collapsed. Many people around him were gathering for a heart massage, etc. The man was wearing a gray T-shirt on the top and ocher on the bottom. It looked like trousers. The man didn’t seem to run away, he stayed there and the gun was there. After that, he was taken down by the people who seemed to be SPs around him.”
Shinzo Abe shot in the chest in Nara. Attacker caught. pic.twitter.com/WfkUDH9lfo
— Gordon Knight (@GordonlKnight) July 8, 2022
Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno, who is in the same party as Abe, condemned the attack: “A barbaric act like this is absolutely unforgivable, no matter what the reasons are, and we condemn it strongly.”
Here is another angle of the killing.
Third video shows the shooting of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the gunman being taken into custody
— BNO News (@BNONews) July 8, 2022
NOTE: Video not graphic, but viewer discretion is advised pic.twitter.com/xsskEZzBMQ
Another video allegedly shows authorities taking away the suspect.
Reported footage shows suspect involved in the assassination attempt of Pm Shinzo Abe being carried away by police officers after shooting the Prime minster pic.twitter.com/kA2DzvPzMi
— 444CNews (@444CNews) July 8, 2022
Here’s another.
NHK video shows the moment Shinzo Abe’s suspected attacker was stopped. Local media reporting a man in his 40s has been arrested on a charge of attempted murder #Abe #安倍晋三 pic.twitter.com/oMcDV31vfn
— Tom Bateman (@tomb8man) July 8, 2022
Here’s another tweet showing the suspect being allegedly apprehended.
Photo of the suspect that shot Japanese former PM Shinzo Abe. The weapon looks like a custom sawed-off shotgun. pic.twitter.com/eVDcZPZ5xW
— Global: MilitaryInfo (@Global_Mil_Info) July 8, 2022
Footage shows officials taking Abe off the chopper. His condition had deteriorated by this point considerably.
— 🇺🇸mai🌟ke🇨🇦 (@maike809588) July 8, 2022
Several world leaders have already given their condolences to the slain leader.
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“He was working for peace and stability in Japan and the world,” current Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during a press conference. “He was a dear friend who loved this country … To lose such a figure in this manner is absolutely devastating.”
US Secretary of State Tony Blink also gave his condolences, “This is shocking. It’s profoundly disturbing … It’s also such a strong personal loss for so many people. In the United States, Prime Minister Abe was an extraordinary partner. And someone who clearly was a great leader for Japan,” Blinken told reporters in Indonesia, where he is attending a G20 gathering of foreign ministers.”
Deeply saddened by the heinous killing of Shinzo Abe, a defender of democracy and my friend & colleague over many years. My deepest condolences to his family, PM @kishida230 & the people
— Jens Stoltenberg (@jensstoltenberg) July 8, 2022
of #NATO’s partner #Japan at this difficult time. pic.twitter.com/8rtdb0G11S
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg tweeted, “Deeply saddened by the heinous killing of Shinzo Abe, a defender of democracy and my friend & colleague over many years. My deepest condolences to his family, PM @kishida230 & the people of #NATO’s partner #Japan at this difficult time,” Stoltenberg tweeted.
Abe was seen as a fierce Japanese nationalist with ambitions to make Japan a military power again.
This is going to massively change things in Japan and looks like a straight up hit job. We don’t know the motive currently, but it just reeks of one. Did you like Abe? Why do you think this happened and what possibly could have been the motive?