Japanese PM evacuated after smoke bomb thrown at him

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
15 Apr 2023 07:38

The Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is evacuated after a "smoke bomb" is hurled in his direction as he prepared to give a speech in Wakayama city, Japan.

A man, believed to be a suspect who threw a pipe-like object near Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during his outdoor speech, is held by police officers at Saikazaki fishing port in Wakayama, Wakayama Prefecture, southwestern Japan, April 15, 2023. (Reuters)

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was evacuated, at about 11:30 a.m. local time on Saturday, from a venue at the Wakayama fishing port where he was set to give a speech after explosions sounded in the vicinity.

Local reports noted that the PM, who had visited Wakayama city to give a public speech in support of the upcoming election in the district, was not harmed. The explosion sound turned out to have resulted from a "smoke bomb" that was spotted being hurled toward Kishida. It was also reported that one individual has so far been detained.

BREAKING 🚨 Japan’s Prime Minister evacuated after blast at speech in Wakayama, local media reports pic.twitter.com/AHJppKI16m
— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) April 15, 2023

According to reports, there was no immediate evidence of casualties or damage at the site. Despite that, footage from the event showed hundreds of people scrambling to safety.

The police department has yet to issue an official statement on the incident.

Such violent attacks are rare in Japan, but the security situation has been tense around politicians since the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe last year over his ties to the Unification Church.