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Shinzo Abe, a US Ally and Ex-Leader of Japan, Assassinated in Shock Attack

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Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated today by a gunman.

Abe was a conservative and a U.S. ally who worked closely with the Trump administration. He was one of his nation's most powerful and influential figures since WWII.

The 67-year-old died after being shot from behind, just minutes after he had started giving a campaign speech in western Japan.  

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Abe was airlifted to a hospital for emergency treatment but was not breathing and his heart had stopped. He was pronounced dead later at the hospital, according to NHK public television.

Police arrested the suspected gunman, Tetsuya Yamagami, 41, at the scene. The unemployed suspect reportedly disagreed with Abe's politics.

The attack shocked many in Japan which is one of the world's safest nations and has some of the strictest gun control laws anywhere on the globe.

Abe was Japan's longest-serving leader before stepping down in 2020. His friends in the U.S. are among many world leaders who are mourning his loss.

President Biden declared his outrage over Abe's death but also tried to tie the assassination to "gun violence".

Some in the news media actually targeted Abe's legacy just moments after his death. In a now-deleted tweet, NPR blasted the assassinated Abe for his conservative politics calling him a "divisive arch-conservative."

Curtis Houck, the managing editor of NewsBusters, called out CBS News for its report, saying, "@CBSMornings trashes Shinzo Abe hours after his assassination, calling him 'a polarizing figure,' 'right-wing nationalist, and conservative' whose 'political opinions were controversial.'"

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