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Photos: Shinzo Abe, former prime minister of Japan, assassinated at campaign event

Japan’s former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is attended on the ground after being shot Friday
Japan’s former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is attended after being shot and mortally wounded in Nara in western Japan on Friday.
(Kyodo News)
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Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated Friday on a street in western Japan by a gunman who shot him from behind as he delivered a campaign speech — an attack that stunned a nation with some of the world’s strictest gun-control laws.

The 67-year-old Abe, who was Japan’s longest-serving leader when he resigned in 2020, collapsed bleeding and was airlifted to a nearby hospital. He was later pronounced dead after receiving massive blood transfusions, officials said.

The head of Nara Medical University’s emergency department, Hidetada Fukushima, said Abe suffered major damage to his heart, along with two neck wounds that damaged an artery.

A suspect gunman was arrested at the scene and identified as Tetsuya Yamagami, 41, a former member of Japan’s navy. Public broadcaster NHK reported that he said he wanted to kill Abe for reasons unrelated to politics.

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People pray at a site outside of Yamato-Saidaiji Station where Japan’s former prime minister Shinzo Abe was shot
People pray before a street memorial in Nara, Japan, for former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was fatally shot while speaking at a campaign event Friday.
(Yuichi Yamazaki / Getty Images)
Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe lies on the ground after being shot
Abe lies on the ground as others come to his aid after he was shot Friday in Nara, Japan.
(Kyodo News)
Abe is wheeled on a stretcher after arriving at a hospital on a helicopter
Abe is wheeled on a stretcher into Nara Medical University Hospital after arriving on a helicopter.
(Shohei Izumi / Yomiuri Shimbun )
An aerial view taken shows police working at the scene at Kintetsu Yamato-Saidaiji Station in Nara
Onlookers stand on the sidewalk as police and other emergency personnel work the scene at Kintetsu Yamato-Saidaiji Station in Nara, Japan, after Abe was shot.
(Jiji Press / AFP via Getty Images)
Tetsuya Yamagami, center, holding a weapon, is detained near the site of gunshots in Nara, western Japan
A security officer grabs suspect Tetsuya Yamagami, holding a homemade weapon, after Abe was shot.
(Nara Shimbun/Kyodo News )
Tetsuya Yamagami, bottom, is detained near the site of gunshots in Nara Prefecture, western Japan, Friday
Yamagami is taken to the ground by a security officer after Friday’s shooting in Nara, Japan.
(Katsuhiko Hirano / Yomiuri Shimbun)
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A woman wipes away tears in front of a makeshift memorial for Abe
A woman wipes away tears Friday night in front of a makeshift memorial at the site where former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot earlier.
(Philip Fong / AFP )
A man prays at a site outside of Yamato-Saidaiji Station where Japan’s former prime minister Shinzo Abe was shot
A man prays at the street memorial to Shinzo Abe in Nara, Japan.
(Yuichi Yamazaki / Getty Images)
In 2018, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, center, at Group of 7 summit in Charlevoix, Canada.
In 2018, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, center, joins other Group of 7 leaders surrounding former President Trump during a summit in Charlevoix, Canada.
( Jesco Denze / EPA)
Shinzo Abe, Japan's prime minister and president of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), center, raises his fist
In 2019, during the annual convention of Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party, Shinzo Abe, center, raises his fist in a display of unity with party officials Katsunobu Kato, left, and Toshihiro Nikai.
(Bloomberg )
Shinzo Abe, Japan's prime minister, reviews the honor guard at a ceremony for the Ministry of Defense
In 2007, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reviews the honor guard during a ceremony at the Ministry of Defense in Tokyo.
(Bloomberg )
Pope Francis walks with Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as he arrives at the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo
In 2019, Abe walks with Pope Francis after the pope’s arrival at the prime minister’s residence in Tokyo.
(Tomohiro Ohsumi/Pool Photo)
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President Obama looks on as Shinzo Abe, Japan's primer minister, carries a wreath
In 2016, President Obama looks on as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe places a wreath in front of the cenotaph at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima, Japan.
(Bloomberg)
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