By Earl Valenzuela and Naomi Tamayo

Former Japanese Prime Minister and incumbent member of Japan’s House of Representatives Shinzo Abe was shot twice while giving a speech in Nara, Japan earlier today, July 8, 2022, around 11:30 in the morning.

The assailant, named Tetsuya Yamagami, shot him twice with a handmade gun, putting the 67-year-old ex-prime minister in grave condition. 

Yamagami was later arrested and put into custody at 11:32 P.M.. 

The assailant has no known occupations; however, Japan’s Defense Ministry had indicated that an individual of the same name was under the Japanese Navy from 2002 to 2005.

Media reports that Yamagami did not have any sort of political grudges toward Shinzo Abe.

The incident had a televised broadcast on NHK, showing the dire conditions that Abe was put in, clutching his bloodied chest and struggling to get up.

Abe was quickly airlifted to the hospital where he appeared to be in cardiac arrest.

Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was then declared dead hours later, at around 4:52 P.M..

Thumbnail from Antonio Masiello