"He has no vital signs" Japan's emergency services say of Shinzo Abe who was shot in the back while giving a campaign speech.
Shinzo Abe, the former Japanese prime minister, the country's longest-serving, was giving a campaign speech, in the middle of the street, in the city of Nara, ahead of the Upper House election next Sunday.
At one point, a man approached from behind him, carrying a makeshift gun and shot him twice in the back, once at heart level and once in the neck.
Abe collapsed. His hospital staff and the people accompanying him rushed over him while trying to give him cardiovascular resuscitation.
As reported by Japanese media, Abe collapsed and was unconscious and did not appear to be responsive. He was immediately taken to hospital.
The fire department of the Japanese city of Nara later confirmed that Shinzo Abe had no vital signs, was in a state of "cardiopulmonary arrest," when an ambulance transported him to a hospital.
The information that "former Prime Minister Abe () is in a state of cardiopulmonary arrest" was first reported by NHK, using the terminology of Japanese authorities when death simply remains to be declared by a coroner.
However, Japan's prime minister and the country's MFA painted a slightly different picture of Abe's condition, essentially saying that he is fighting for his life.
"Doctors are fighting to save him," Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said at a news conference Friday, adding that what happened was unforgivable and that Abe is in critical condition.
Airlifting Abe to hospital:
[/P]
Video after the Abe shooting incident
Eyewitness testimonies
Two women who witnessed the incident told NHK thatthe man approached Abe from behind when he was delivering his speech.
A first shot was heard, no one appeared to have been injured, the witnesses said. When a second shot was fired, Abe fell to the ground and people rushed over to help him.
The man who shot Shinzo Abe was arrested
The man who shot Shinzo Abe was arrested soon after. He was a 42-year-old man. He was still holding the assault weapon when he was arrested, a weapon that, as shown in the first photos, was homemade.
Japanese media reported that the suspect had been a member of the naval self-defense force for about three years, until about 2005.
NHK also reported, citing sources close to the police, that the suspect was unhappy with him and decided to kill him. It is not yet clear the reasons for the displeasure of this man, who was named by the police - he is called Tetsuya Yamagami and is a resident of Nara. According to Japanese media, the assailant, who was immediately taken into custody, is a former member of the Japanese Navy and used a handmade rifle.
Japan has some of the strictest rules in the world on gun ownership. The Guardian reports that gun deaths in Japan in 2014 for example were six, in 2006 two deaths, and rarely does that number exceed 10 per year in a nation of 126 million people. The process for obtaining a gun permit is very strict and involves many tests, it is mainly and only allowed for hunting.
Suspended campaigning ahead of election
Campaigning ahead of a vote to renew the composition of the upper house of parliament has been suspended after a gunman attacked former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, according to statements from party press offices and Japanese media.
"Sadness" and "shock" expressed by US ambassador over attack
The US ambassador to Japan, Ram Emanuel, expressed "sadness" today, adding that he was "shocked" by the gunman's attack on Japanese former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during his election speech.
"We are all saddened and shocked by the bullet attack on former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Abe-san was an outstanding leader of Japan and an unwavering ally of the United States. The U.S. government and the American people pray for the well-being of Abe-san, his family and the Japanese people," Emanuel said in a press release.
Contents of this article including associated images are belongs Cyprus Times
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or Cyprus Times
Source[/P]
