Shinzo Abe's assassin indicated his desire to kill ex-Japan PM in a letter: Report

The man, identified as Tetsuya Yamagami, who assassinated former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reportedly wrote a letter to a Unification Church critic indicating his plans to murder the leader before the shooting incident, the recipient has revealed. Police are apparently aware of the letter that was sent by Yamagami from Okayama Prefecture to the recipient's address in the Chugoku region of western Japan, Kyodo News reported. In the letter, Tetsuya Yamagami demonstrated strong opposition to the church which he believed had a connection with Shinzo Abe.

Notably, former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe passed away at the age of 67 after he was shot dead in Nara while delivering a speech ahead of elections on 8 July. In the letter written to the male recipient, whose identity has not been revealed, Yamagami underscored that he "felt bitter" towards Shinzo Abe and called him "one of the most influential sympathizers of the Unification Church in the real world," as per the Kyodo News report.

In the letter, Tetsuya Yamagami further mentioned that Abe was not his "original enemy." The recipient of the letter reportedly wrote blog posts criticizing the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, also known as the Unification Church. Tetsuya Yamagami, who used a homemade gun to shoot Shinzo Abe was arrested at the site of the attack. He told investigators that his mother had made donations to the church and blamed the donations for affecting his family's finances. 

Tetsuya Yamagami's mother donated Rs 5,75,88,152.64 to Unification Church 

The mother of Tetsuya Yamagami, who shot former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe donated a total of 100 million yen (Rs 5,75,88,152.64) to Unification Church, the shooter's uncle revealed. Tetsuya Yamagami told investigating officials that his family's finances were ruined due to large donations made by his mother to the religious group and Shinzo Abe had links with the church.

According to Kyodo News report, Yamagami's mother became a follower of the church in 1991 after her husband committed suicide. According to Tetsuya Yamagami's uncle, she donated 60 million yen to the church which she received from a life insurance policy after the death of her husband. In addition, she donated 40 million yen to the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, which she had received after selling the family's real estate. She continued to donate smaller amounts even after her family went bankrupt. 

(Image: AP)