Japan's former PM Abe dies after shooting

"Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been pronounced dead after being shot during a public event, NHK has reported, citing the ruling Japanese Liberal Democratic Party. The death was also confirmed by a party source, who spoke to agency Kyodo News.

Abe was taken to hospital in grave condition after a gunman injured him during a public appearance in the city of Nara in western Japan. He was campaigning as a candidate in an upcoming parliamentary election. Doctors said that significant blood loss from the gunshot injuries had led to his ultimate demise. Abe’s neck was seriously wounded in the attack, medics said, and some of the damage had gone deep enough to damage the heart. 

NHK news identified the man as Yamagami Tetsuya, said to be in his 40s and to have served in Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force for three years. He was arrested for attempted murder, and a weapon has reportedly been retrieved from the scene. The television channel said the police found items at the man’s home that may be explosives." RT