An explosive devise was thrown at Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during a campaign event Saturday. Kishida was evacuated after the incident and was not injured, but one police officer sustained minor injuries. The suspect was wrestled to the ground by police and is in custody.
The Gateway Pundit reported on Kishida’s predecessor, Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated in July of 2022 after being shot in the back.
Hunting the Prime Minister has become a national pastime in Japan.
The moment of throwing an explosive device at Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and detaining the suspect.
https://t.co/eXFHk4Kdqe pic.twitter.com/QcSCuEO2Gw— Victor vicktop55 (@vicktop55) April 15, 2023
One police officer was slightly hurt and Kishida continued campaigning Saturday, but the chaotic scene was reminiscent of the assassination nine months ago of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, which also came on a campaign tour and continues to reverberate in Japanese politics. Kishida was visiting Saikazaki port in Wakayama prefecture to support his ruling party’s candidate in a local election, and the explosion occurred just before he was to begin his speech.
A young man believed to be a suspect was arrested Saturday at the scene after he allegedly threw “the suspicious object,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters. Matsuno refused to comment on the suspect’s motive and background, saying police are still investigating.
TV footage shows Kishida standing with his back to the crowd. His security detail suddenly points to the ground near him, and the prime minister whips around, looking alarmed. The camera quickly turns to the crowd just as several people, including uniformed and plainclothes police officers, converge on a young man wearing a white surgical mask and holding what appears to be another device, a long silver tube.
As they collapse on top of the man, working to remove the tube from his hands, a large explosion is heard near where Kishida had been standing. The crowd scatters in panic as police roughly drag the man away.
It wasn’t immediately clear what the explosive device was or how many the suspect had, but some reports said it was a smoke or pipe bomb, possibly with a delayed fuse.
No injuries among the crowd were reported in the incident, which came on the eve of a major international forum in Japan. Kishida was not hurt and continued his campaign speeches later Saturday, Matsuno said. One police officer was slighlty injured.
BREAKING
Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida evacuated after blast at speech in Wakayama. He is unhurt. The suicide bomber was apprehended as his blast wasn’t powerful enough.
His predecessor Shinzo Abe was assassinated by a gunman using a homemade double barrel gun. pic.twitter.com/Dkjb5cpCJI
— Arun Pudur (@arunpudur) April 15, 2023
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