THE shooter in Shinzo Abe’s assassination tested his weapon before he fatally shot the former Japanese prime minister, Anadolu Agency reported, citing local media.

The 41-year-old attacker, Tetsuya Yamagami, said he had tested his homemade firearm in a facility in preparation for the attack, public broadcaster NHK said yesterday.

According to the broadcaster, one of the police detectives investigating the incident said that Yamagami initially planned to attack the leader of a religious group but eventually changed his mind and targeted Abe.

On Friday, Abe was shot during an election campaign speech in the western city of Nara. He died of his injuries hours after. – Bernama, July 11, 2022.