Japanese former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot today at a campaign event on Friday, with reports claiming a man armed with a reportedly homemade gun opened fired at him from behind. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was "deeply distressed by the attack on my dear friend Shinzo Abe".
"Our thoughts and prayers are with him, his family, and the people of Japan," tweeted PM Modi.
Deeply distressed by the attack on my dear friend Abe Shinzo. Our thoughts and prayers are with him, his family, and the people of Japan.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 8, 2022"Such an act of barbarity cannot be tolerated," Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters, adding that Abe had been shot at about 11:30 am (local time).
Visuals showed video of Abe making a campaign speech outside a train station when two shots rang out, after which the view was briefly obscured and then security officials were seen tackling a man on the ground. A puff of smoke behind Abe could be seen in another video shown in Japan's public broadcaster NHK.
A photograph showed Abe lying face-up on the street by a guardrail, blood on his white shirt. People were crowded around him, one administering heart massage.
Police identified the suspected shooter as Tetsuya Yamagami, a resident of Nara. Reports claimed he had served in Japan's military.
Shinzo Abe served two terms as prime minister to become Japan's longest-serving premier before stepping down in 2020 citing ill health.
