Shinzo Abe, a former Japanese prime minister, was shot

Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has passed away in the western city of Nara after being shot earlier today.

He was reportedly shot in the chest and neck while campaigning in Nara, a city in western Japan.

While giving a campaign speech in front of a train station in Nara, the 67-year-old former prime minister of Japan was shot at around 11:30 am (02:30 GMT).

Before Abe fell to the ground bleeding profusely while clutching his chest, according to NHK, the reporter on the scene heard a gun fire twice. He was taken to the hospital right away, but according to local media, fire officials said that he was not showing any vital signs at the time. A suspect in his 40s was taken into custody there.

The COVID-19 outbreak and a string of scandals, including the arrest of his former justice minister, led to Abe becoming the longest-serving premier in Japanese history in November 2019. However, by the summer of 2020, the public had lost faith in his handling of the situation. The Games were delayed to 2021 due to COVID-19, and he left his position without presideing over them.

As Japan’s youngest prime minister since World War Two, he began serving in that position in 2006. Abe resigned, citing ill health, after a year marred by political scandals, voter outrage over lost pension records, and a crushing defeat for his ruling party in the elections.