Abe Shooting Suspect Apparently Referred To 'revenge,' 'guns' On Social Media
The suspect in the fatal shooting of former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo apparently posted about "revenge" and "guns" on a blog before the attack.
The post said that, in reference to a religious group, "Revenge is meaningful only when it is done by oneself," and "I desperately want guns."
The comments were posted in December 2020 on a blog critical of the Family Federation of World Peace and Unification, formerly known as the Unification Church.
The blog was run by a man in Shimane Prefecture. He also received a letter from the suspect hinting about a future attack on Abe.
Police have learned that the suspect, Yamagami Tetsuya, 41, had developed animosity toward the religious group, to which his mother had donated large amounts of money. He was arrested at the scene of the shooting in Nara City on July 8.
Police are investigating how his grudge against the group turned toward the former prime minister.
The group told NHK that it has yet to determine exactly when and how much his mother donated. It said a total of 50 million yen, or about 360,000 dollars, was reimbursed to her over about ten years through 2014.