Psychiatric detention starts to examine criminal responsibility for Abe shooter

NARA — Psychiatric detention started Monday for Tetsuya Yamagami, who is suspected of fatally shooting former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a er he was transferred from the Nara Nishi Police Station in Nara City to the Osaka Detention House in Osaka City.

Yamagami, 41, allegedly killed Abe in Nara City during a campaign speech for the upper house election on July 8. Prosecutors believe Yamagami’s mental condition at the time of the crime, and whether he can be held criminally responsible, need to be examined.

e psychiatric detention will continue for about four months through Nov. 29. Yamagami’s original detention period was scheduled to end on July 29, but this has been temporarily suspended while he undergoes a psychiatric analysis by experts.

According to investigative sources, Yamagami, a former member of the Maritime Self-Defense Force, prepared a homemade gun and gunpowder and checked Abe’s schedule before attacking him. He has told investigators that he held a grudge against the religious group widely known as the Uni cation Church because his family’s life was destroyed a er his mother became a member of the group.

Yamagami also said he targeted Abe because he thought the former prime minister had connections to the group, which is now o cially called the Family Federation for World Peace and Uni cation.

Although he allegedly acted in a calculated manner, it constitutes a leap in logic for Yamagami to have attacked Abe, which led prosecutors to decide that a psychiatric analysis was necessary before court procedures could begin.

“Yamagami has spoken logically during questioning. His memory is clear and there are no changes in his statements,” a senior investigator said. “So far, our e orts to corroborate his statements haven’t found anything that contradicts them.”

GUNPOWDER MADE OF FERTILIZER

NARA — e suspect in the fatal shooting of Shinzo Abe produced the gunpowder used in the attack by mixing agricultural fertilizer and other ingredients purchased online, it was learned from Nara prefectural police sources.

e suspect, Tetsuya Yamagami, also researched methods to manufacture gunpowder on YouTube, according to the sources.

Cans containing homemade gunpowder were seized from Yamagami’s home, and several trays believed to be for drying gunpowder were found in his car. He reportedly did the drying inside a rented garage in Nara Prefecture.

When Yamagami red at Abe with his homemade gun, a large cloud of white smoke was emitted. Based on the characteristics of the smoke, the police believe that Yamagami used black powder, which in previous eras was used for rearms.

Black powder is easily ignited and produces a large amount of smoke. It can be made by mixing potassium nitrate, found in agricultural fertilizers, with sulfur and other ingredients, according to the police.

e police are in the process of analyzing the homemade gun seized at the scene, and have con rmed that the gun was designed to re bullets by igniting and detonating gunpowder with electricity.

Two pipes that served as gun barrels were connected to the battery by an electrical cord, the police said.

e police will proceed to assess the seized items, and will also conduct ring tests of the handmade gun to con rm the gun’s ability to kill and injure. (July 26)