Japanese police seized multiple homemade handguns from the home of Tetsuya Yamagami, the former member of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force who is a suspect in the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday.
Police conducted a raid on Yamagami's home on Friday, the same day he allegedly shot and killed Abe with a homemade gun while the former prime minister was giving a speech in the city of Nara.
"We are conducting forensics, but clearly it looks homemade," a local police chief said during a press conference, according to NBC News.
According to law enforcement, multiple weapons similar to the one that is believed to have been used in the shooting were found at the suspect's residence, and they noted that it's uncertain if Yamagami had the licenses necessary to own those weapons. Japanese news station NHK reported that explosives were also found in the suspect's house.
Yamagami reportedly told police that he had been "frustrated" with Abe, but said that he did not attack the former prime minister due to his political beliefs.
NBC News reports that Yamagami told police he had a grudge against a group that he thought Abe was linked to. One newspaper, The Mainichi, claims that the suspect was attempting to shoot a religious leader who was not at the rally where Abe was shot, according to The Boston Globe.
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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