Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot by a lone gunman while on the campaign trail in the Japanese city of Nara Friday morning.
According to Japanese national broadcaster NHK, Abe was in the ancient capital, located roughly 30 miles outside of Kyoto, giving a stump speech near the city’s Yamato-Saidaiji Station in support of his Liberal Democratic Party when he collapsed at around 11:30 a.m. local time. An NHK journalist on the scene reported hearing two gunshots, and local police later confirmed that a man in his 40s in possession of a shotgun was taken into custody shortly after the incident.
A spokesperson for the conservative party confirmed the former prime minister was shot in the chest from behind and was taken away from the scene by ambulance. “We’ve received reports from the scene that he lost consciousness and is in critical condition,” an unidentified government official told NHK. Japanese government spokespeople typically speak to the press on condition of anonymity. NHK also reports that first responders stated Abe appeared to be in a state of cardiac arrest.
Japan is currently gearing up for its House of Councillors election election, which takes place this Sunday.
Video and images posted on Twitter show a team of handlers surrounding the former prime minister as he lies motionless on the pavement.
安倍晋三演説中にバズーカみたいなん3発撃たれて阿部さん心臓マッサージされてるしやべぇ…… pic.twitter.com/Cai5fAhgly
— ゆごㄘ (@Yu__GoChi819) July 8, 2022
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
Source: RollingStone
