Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a divisive arch-conservative and one of his nation’s most powerful and influential figures, has died after being shot during a campaign speech Friday in western Japan, hospital officials said.
Abe, 67, was shot from behind minutes after he started his speech in Nara. He was airlifted to a hospital for emergency treatment but was not breathing and his heart had stopped. He was later pronounced dead despite emergency treatment that included massive blood transfusions, hospital officials said.
This is the alleged murder weapon:
It appears to be a homemade, very short-barrelled, double-barrelled shotgun, which, at short range, is a devastating weapon. From the puff of smoke in the videos of the assassination, I would presume that the propellant is black powder. That can be obtained by dismantling fireworks, as the Boston Marathon bombers did. All that's then needed is obvious parts and a way of igniting the charges
