CAIRO, July 8. /TASS/. Some Arab nations have offered condolences to the family and the people of Japan over the assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, according to the statements released on Friday by Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman and Palestine.
In the statements, Abe is praised as "an outstanding leader," and his contribution to relations between Japan and Arab countries is emphasized, while the assassination is slammed as "a horrific crime" and "a heinous attack."
The 67-year-old politician was gunned down in the city of Nara at about noon on July 8, as he was making a campaign speech ahead of the parliamentary election, scheduled for July 10. Tetsuya Yamagami, a 41-year-old Japanese national, fired two shots at the former prime minister using a homemade firearm. Abe was then rushed to hospital by helicopter. He received a blood transfusion. Doctors had been fighting for his life for a few hours, but were unable to save him. The attacker said that he was frustrated with Abe’s politics and conduct, adding that he had nothing against the former prime minister’s political views.