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Tetsuya Yamagami (back right) has been named as the suspected killer
Images from the scene where Shinzo Abe spoke earlier appear to show the suspect moments before he opened fire.
The shooter – who has been named by Japanese media as 41-year-old Tetsuya Yamagami – can be seen standing a short distance behind Abe as he steps up to the podium to speak to voters outside Yamato-Saidaiji Station of Kintetsu Railway in Nara, southern Japan.
He can be seen wearing cargo trousers with a strap around his shoulders.
What we know about the suspected shooter
The suspected attacker was tackled at the scene and is now in police custody
The man who is suspected to have shot Japan’s former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been identified by Japanese media as 41-year-old Tetsuya Yamagami, a resident of Nara city.
He is reported to be a former member of Japan’s Maritime Self-Defence Force, the country’s navy, but the defence ministry has not officially confirmed this.
Japanese broadcaster NHK reports Yamagami as telling police he was “dissatisfied with Abe and wanted to kill him”.
The suspect is now in police custody. Eyewitnesses said they saw a man carrying what they described as a large gun and firing twice at Abe from behind.
Photographs taken as the suspect was being apprehended show what looks like an improvised weapon.
It is unclear how the shooter came to know about Abe’s attendance at the campaign in advance, as the visit was only confirmed late last night.
This improvised weapon was pictured at the scene as the suspect was tackled to the ground
(BBC)
