Japan prosecutes man who murdered Shinzo Abe.
According to sources familiar with the matter, cited by Kyodo News on December 24, Japanese prosecutors have decided to indict Tetsuya Yamagami (42), the man accused of murdering former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in July, after a psychiatric evaluation of the suspect.
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Tetsuya Yamagami, the man accused of murdering former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Photo: AFP/VNA |
The Nara District Prosecutor's Office had previously extended Yamagami's detention to carefully assess whether the suspect was mentally fit to stand trial. Yamagami's detention is set to expire on January 10th. He was arrested for murder after shooting Abe on July 8th while the latter was campaigning for the ruling party in Nara City.
Yamagami served in the Japan Self-Defense Forces from 2002 to 2005. He lived in an apartment in Nara City but retired in May 2022 due to health reasons.
According to investigative sources, Yamagami told investigators that he harbored animosity toward the Unification Church, a religious group known for its mass weddings and aggressive fundraising campaigns, and targeted Abe because he believed the former Prime Minister had ties to the organization.
Mr. Abe, 67, was shot from behind at around 11:30 a.m. on July 8 (Tokyo time) while campaigning for a candidate of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in Nara, western Japan. He died at 5:03 p.m. the same day. Following the attack, Japanese police arrested the suspect, Yamagami, 41, and seized a homemade gun at the scene.
