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Former Japan Prime Minister critical after being shot during speech, says report

Japan’s former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. [File Photo]

Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was critically injured after being shot during an event in the city of Nara.

Abe was shot twice while he was giving a speech, causing him to fall to the ground. His attacker has been arrested, BBC reported.

Ex-Tokyo governor Yoichi Masuzoe said in a tweet that 67-year-old Abe was in a state of cardiopulmonary arrest. The term is often used before a death is officially confirmed in Japan.

The Fire and Disaster Management Agency confirmed that Abe had a bullet wound on the right of his neck, and also suffered subcutaneous bleeding under the left part of his chest, the report said.

It is unclear if both shots hit him, or if a bullet hit him on the neck and travelled elsewhere.

“Former prime minister Abe was shot at around 11:30 local time (02:30 GMT) in Nara. One man, believed to be the shooter, has been taken into custody. The condition of former prime minister Abe is currently unknown,” chief cabinet secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters, as per BBC.

“Whatever the reason, such a barbaric act can never be tolerated, and we strongly condemn it,” Hirokazu Matsuno added.

 

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