Shinzo Abe Assassination Video Show Moment Former Japan PM Was Gunned Down

Videos shared to social media appear to show former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe being shot while delivering a campaign speech on Friday.

Abe was reportedly shot twice, including once in the back, while making remarks in the Japanese city of Nara. He has been taken to hospital, where he his believed to be in a grave condition.

Footage shared by Japan's NHK News on Friday shows the moment of the shooting. Abe can be seen giving his speech in the street when he is apparently shot from behind.

A large cloud of smoke is visible behind the former prime minister. NHK also reported that the assailant used a handmade gun, which may account for the smoke.

A video shared by BNO News shows passers-by approaching Abe after the shooting in an apparent attempt to help the 67-year-old, while another video shared on Twitter reportedly shows paramedics attending to Abe at the scene.

CBS News shared a video showing Japanese emergency personnel moving someone underneath a blue sheet, who is believed to be Abe, from an ambulance to a helicopter.

In chaotic footage shared on Twitter by Al Jazeera, Abe can be seen speaking before the camera pans away during gunshots. The video then shows men in suits apparently tackling another man in a green t-shirt and pinning him to the ground. The men may have been part of Abe's security team.

That footage also shows what appears to be the homemade gun as well as the wounded former prime minister on the ground.

Several other videos shared to social media also show the moment the shooting took place. Abe was speaking into a microphone while standing on a soapbox or crate when a shot rang out. He was addressing a small crowd.

One Twitter user, who appears to be Japanese, shared a brief video of the aftermath of the shooting from a different angle, showing some of the crowd remaining in place just across the street from Abe, while a small group had gathered around the prime minister, including men in suits who may have been part of his team.

The suspected attacker is in police custody, according to reports, and it remains to be seen if Abe will recover. NHK has identified the suspect as 42-year-old Tetsuya Yamagami, but Newsweek has yet to conform this.

Former Tokyo Governor Yoichi Masuzoe tweeted that Abe was in a state of cardiopulmonary arrest. This term is often used in Japan before an official announcement of death, according to BBC News.

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters: "Former prime minister Abe was shot at around 11:30 local time in Nara. One man, believed to be the shooter, has been taken into custody. The condition of former prime minister Abe is currently unknown."

"Whatever the reason, such a barbaric act can never be tolerated, and we strongly condemn it," Matsuno said.