- Former Japanese Prime Minister was assassinated while giving a campaign speech on Friday.
- Japanese police named the suspect in the killing as 41-year-old Yamagami Tetsuya.
- He used to work for Japan's navy and has told police was "dissatisfied" with Abe, NHK reported.
Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe died on Friday after being shot while giving a campaign speech in Nara, western Japan.
Japanese police said they arrested a 41-year-old man on suspicion of attempted murder and seized a weapon, the Asahi Shimbun newspaper reported.
Police have named the suspect as Yamagami Tetsuya. Here's what we know about him.
Who he is
- Tetsuya lived in Nara, the city in which Abe was shot dead.
- Tetsuya worked for Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force — or the Japanese navy — for three years until 2005, Japan's NHK public broadcaster reported, citing defense ministry sources.
- While there, Tetsuya had live-firearms training, the Asahi Shimbun newspaper reported, citing the defense ministry.
The weapon
- Police said Tetsuya shot Abe in the neck from around 10 feet away. Footage of the event appeared to show the shooting suspect standing behind Abe without any visible security around him.
- Images of the gun said to be used in the shooting show it appeared to be homemade, made of two metal barrels attached to a wooden board with black tape.
- Police later found explosive-like items at Tetsuya's home in Nara, Kyodo News reported.
The motive
- During an interrogation at the Nara-nishi police station, Tetsuya told police he "was dissatisfied with former Prime Minister Abe and aimed to kill him," but that the attack was "not a grudge against the former Prime Minister's political beliefs," NHK reported.
Abe's assassination has shocked Japan, which has strict gun laws that make it hard to procure firearms.
Read the original article on Business Insider