“Deeply Distressed By Attack On My Dear Friend Shinzo Abe”: PM Modi

Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was wounded today at a political gathering, according to sources. A man apparently carrying a handmade gun fired at him from behind. Narendra Modi, the prime minister, expressed his “great sorrow” over the assault on his close friend Shinzo Abe.
PM Modi tweeted, “Our thoughts and prayers are with him, his family, and the people of Japan.”

I’m extremely upset about what happened to my dear friend Abe Shinzo. We are sending him, his loved ones, and the people of Japan our thoughts and prayers.

Hirokazu Matsuno, the chief cabinet secretary, told reporters that Abe had been shot at around 11:30 a.m., adding that “such an act of barbarism cannot be accepted” (local time).

Two bullets were fired as Abe was giving a campaign address outside of a railway station, as shown on video. After the vision was briefly blocked, security personnel could be seen grappling a man on the ground. Another footage aired on Japan’s official broadcaster NHK showed a plume of smoke behind Abe.

Abe was captured on camera face-up and covered in blood as he lay beside a guardrail on the sidewalk. He was surrounded by a throng of people, one of them was massaging his heart.

Tetsuya Yamagami, a resident of Nara, was named by police as the shooter’s suspect. According to reports, he had military experience with Japan.

Before resigning in 2020 due to bad health, Shinzo Abe had spent two terms as prime minister, making him the longest-serving leader in Japanese history.

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