Nara, Japan (AP) Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated on a street in western Japan by a gunman who opened fire on him from behind as he delivered a campaign speech. The attack stunned the nation that has some of the strictest gun control laws anywhere. The 67-year-old Abe, who was Japan’s longest-serving leader when he resigned in 2020, collapsed bleeding and was airlifted to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead from major damage to his heart and two neck wounds. Police arrested the suspected gunman at the scene and identified him as Tetsuya Yamagami, 41, a former member of Japan’s navy.

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NARA, Japan (AP) — Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, one of Japan’s most powerful politicians, has died after being shot during a campaign speech. Abe was shot from behind minutes after he started his speech Friday in Nara in western Japan. He was airlifted to a hospital for emergency treatment but was not breathing and his heart had stopped. He was pronounced dead later at the hospital. The 67-year-old Abe was Japan’s longest-serving leader before stepping down for health reasons in 2020. Police arrested the suspected gunman at the scene of the attack, which shocked people in a country known as one of the world’s safest.