Shooter of Japanese ex-PM charged with murder

Former Japanese serviceman Tetsuya Yamagami aged 41, who shot former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe with a homemade firearm, was handed over to prosecutors on July 10.

After being detained by the Nara Prefectural Police Department, the man was transferred to the local prosecutor's office, where he was formally charged with murder, TASS reports, citing the NHK TV channel.

The assassination attempt on Abe occurred around noon on Friday, while he was giving a speech in Nara as part of an election campaign ahead of the upper house of parliament elections on July 10.

Yamagami used a homemade firearm to shoot the former premier twice. A rescue helicopter flew Abe to the hospital. Doctors performed a blood transfusion on him and fought for his life for several hours, but they were unable to save the former prime minister. Abe was 67 years old at the time.