Suspect behind ex-PM Abe's shooting says he planned to target religious group exec

NARA -- A man under arrest for allegedly shooting former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during a stump speech here has told police that he intended to target a senior official of a religious group, sources close to the case have told the Mainichi Shimbun.

Tetsuya Yamagami, 41, a resident of the city of Nara who was arrested at the scene on July 8 on suspicion of attempted murder, has admitted to the allegations against him, according to the sources.

During questioning, the suspect cited the name of a specific religious group and said, "I intended to target this senior official (of the group)." The named official, however, was reportedly not at the scene at the time.

At the same time, the suspect has made nonsensical statements, and Nara Prefectural Police are carefully investigating whether he is mentally competent to be held criminally responsible.

(Japanese original by Yuhi Yoshikawa and Mizuki Hayashi, Nara Bureau)