Shinzo Abe assassination attempt was caught on camera [video]

Japan's ex-prime minister Shinzo Abe is in grave condition and the suspect, Yamagami Tetsuya, has been arrested.

By / / Viral
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Japan’s former prime minister Shinzo Abe was the target of an assassination at an event that took place in the western city of Nara.

Watch: This is what happened moments before the assassination attempt

As reported by Al Jazeera, the 67-year-old was gunned down while delivering a campaign speech near the Yamatosaidaiji Station at approximately 11:30 (02:30 CAT) on Friday morning.

Abe has been hot on the campaign trail ahead of Japan’s Upper House elections on Sunday, where current incumbent Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will hope to retain control of the country’s legislature.

Moments before the shocking scenes that were caught on camera, Abe appeared to be in a jolly mood as he shook hands with supporters, totally oblivious to the fact that somewhere in the crowd, a homemade twin-barrel shotgun had his name written on it.

Crowds gathered at the podium where Abe stood, and everything seems normal until, in a split second, chaos erupted after two loud gunshots rang out in the street.

The gunfire struck the 67-year-old, and eyewitnesses filmed the moment he went tumbling to the ground, clutching his blood-stained chest.

Shinzo Abe assassination was caught on camera

Emergency medical officials quickly swooped to stabilise the former prime minister, who suffered gunshot wounds to his left chest and neck.

Reports suggest Abe showed no vital signs when he was rushed to the hospital, and he may have been in a state of cardiac arrest when he was airlifted to a nearby hospital.

Updates on the former prime minister’s latest condition have yet to trickle in, but from what we understand, he may be in a grave state.

Here’s footage of the moment Abe was shot while speaking at a campaign rally:

A 41-year-old male suspect, Yamagami Tetsuya, has been arrested for the assassination attempt, and police have recovered the weapon he used, an improvised shotgun.

The motive behind the attack remains unknown as Japanese authorities continue to probe Tetsuya’s past for clues.