who shot Shinzo Abe?

Police said Tetsuya Yamagami, a 41-year-old unemployed man, was arrested at the scene and was under investigation in connection with the attack. The suspect made a confession, police said, adding that he told them he harbored a grudge against a group he believed was connected to Abe. Yamagami also claimed to police that he had previously worked at Japan's Navy for three years.

They said they understood the attack was carried out with a homemade gun and later found several other weapons that appeared to be homemade from a mix of metal and wood at Yamagami's residence. It is unclear whether the suspect carried proper licenses for the weapons.

Police said they are still investigating whether the suspect acted alone.

Video footage of Abe’s speech showed a puff of white smoke appear behind the former leader along with two loud cannon-like blasts. Security officers were seen tackling a man to the ground, with video and photos showing what appeared to be an improvised weapon lying on the ground
Abe was rushed to Nara Medical University Hospital after going into cardio and pulmonary arrest. The hospital announced his death shortly after 5 a.m. ET.

Dr. Hidetada Fukushima, a professor of emergency medicine at the hospital, said Abe had two gunshot wounds and no vital signs when he arrived less than an hour after the shooting. Lifesaving measures including blood transfusions were unsuccessful, he said, and Abe was pronounced dead at 4:03 a.m. ET.  

On Saturday afternoon, a hearse carrying Abe's body arrived in Tokyo, where he lived.

Addressing reporters Friday, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Abe had been killed in “a despicable and barbaric manner.”

“I had been praying that he would somehow survive this, but our prayers were in vain, and to be receiving this news — I just have no words, only that I would like to offer my deepest condolences,” Kishida said, his eyes red and teary. 

Kishida said campaigning in the election for the upper house of Parliament would continue Saturday. Abe, who stepped down in 2020, was campaigning for other members of the governing conservative Liberal Democratic Party but was not a candidate himself.

“I believe that free and fair elections, which are the foundation of democracy, must absolutely be upheld,” Kishida said.