The suspect in the assassination with a improvised weapon of Japan's former prime minister, Shinzo Abe could have built it within a day or two of procuring the immediate delivery materials, such as wooden or metal pipes, analysts say.
The deadly attack on the former prime minister proved that armed violence cannot be completely eliminated even in a country where, because of strict gun control laws, it is almost unheard of for citizens to buy and own guns.
Previous incidents
There have been some cases in recent years where citizens have illegally manufactured guns themselves in Japan. But, even so, gun crime is very rare in that country: last year ten shooting incidents were recorded, six of which involved gangs of thugs, according to police figures. One person was killed and four wounded.
"Building weapons with a 3D printer and making bombs can be done today by reading on the Internet from anywhere in the world," says Mitsuru Fukuda, a professor at Nihon University who specialises in crisis management and terrorism.
"It can be done within two or three days after someone obtains components such as pipes," notes Fukuda, who analyzed photos of the gun used to kill Abe.
Visuals show that the man arrested for the killing was holding a device that had a pistol grip and what appears to be two pipes covered with black duct tape.
"Anyone with a rudimentary understanding of how guns work could have made it with the least possible knowledge," explains weapons expert Tetsuya Chuda, adding that it probably didn't take half a day to make the weapon used.
Japanese media reported today that the suspect told investigating authorities that he had searched the internet for instructions on how to make weapons and had ordered parts and gunpowder also from the internet.
Dimensions of the weapon - Materials
The suspect's weapon measured 40 by 20 centimetres and was made of materials such as metal and wood, officials from the police in Nara, the city where the attack took place, told reporters yesterday.
Police are even not ruling out the possibility that even the bullets were homemade but say they are still investigating.
Investigators seized five homemade guns at the arrested man's home, the Mainichi newspaper reported today.
The man arrested for Abe's assassination told investigators that he made weapons with three, five and six metal tubes in addition to the one he used for the attack, according to Japanese media.
The issue of illegal homemade weapons is not limited to Japan. For example, officials in Spain found a replica automatic rifle and smaller weapons in April 2021 during a raid on an illegal factory that turned out to be manufacturing weapons with a 3D printer.
Source: in.gr
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