Former Japanese PM Shinzo Abe falls to assassin's bullets

Nara (Japan): Sending shockwaves across the world, a 41-year-old former Maritime Self-Defense Force member shot dead former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, one of his nation's most powerful and influential figures, while he was making a campaign speech on Friday in western Japan.

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.

Police arrested the suspected gunman at the scene of the attack that shocked many in Japan, which is one of the world's safest nations and has some of the strictest gun control laws. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his Cabinet ministers hastily returned to Tokyo from campaign events after the shooting, which he called “dastardly and barbaric."

“I use the harshest words to condemn (the act),” Kishida said as he struggled to control his emotions. He said the government planned to review the security situation, but added that Abe had the highest protection.

Nara Medical University emergency department chief Hidetada Fukushima said Abe suffered damage to his heart in addition to two neck wounds that damaged an artery, causing extensive bleeding. He was in a state of cardio and pulmonary arrest when he arrived at the hospital and never regained vital signs.