The assassin of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is said to have originally targeted the leader of a religious group.
The Japanese news agency Kyodo learned on Saturday from investigators that the 41-year-old Japanese man who had been arrested the day before had testified during the interrogation. The day before, the man had shot Abe from behind with a homemade gun from a distance of three meters while he was giving a campaign speech in the city of Nara. He was “dissatisfied” with Abe and wanted to “kill” him, he was quoted as saying. He held a grudge against an organization that he believed had ties to Abe. What is meant is an unnamed religious group, it said.
The assassination had caused horror all over the world. Japan is considered one of the safest countries in the world and has extremely strict gun laws. The assassination happened shortly before elections to the upper house of the national parliament this Sunday. Despite the assassination, they should take place as planned, the government said.
