Following the assassination of ex-Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, experts are now making serious allegations against his bodyguards. 2.5 seconds – that’s how much time elapsed between the first shot at Abe, which missed, and the second, fatal. Plenty of time to save him, Japanese and international security experts say. Abe was shot dead on the street in Nara on July 8 while giving a campaign speech.
After viewing the images of the attack, they judge the situation as follows: bodyguards could have shielded the 67-year-old or removed them from the line of fire and thus saved his life. The failure to do so is due to a series of security vulnerabilities.
Act causes bewilderment
Abe was shot during a campaign rally in the western Japanese city of Nara on July 8, and died of his injuries hours later. The crime stunned Japan, a country where both gun crime and political violence are extremely rare. Japanese authorities, including Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, acknowledged security deficiencies and the police launched an investigation.
Videos from different angles
Reuters spoke with security experts and six witnesses at the scene and viewed several videos available online, taken from multiple angles. Footage shows the gunman approaching Abe unopposed as the former prime minister delivered a speech on a public street. “The bodyguards should have seen the gunman deliberately approach the prime minister and intervened,” said Kenneth Bombace, head of the security firm Global Threat Solutions, which protected Joe Biden during his tenure as a presidential candidate.
Attacker came within about 7 meters for the first shot
According to media reports, the attacker came within about seven meters of Abe before the first shot was fired. He then delivered the second from about five meters away, the Japanese newspaper Yomiuri reported, citing investigative sources. According to former Navy SEAL and CIA officer John Soltys, Abe’s bodyguards did not appear to have formed “concentric security rings” around the politician, nor did they monitor the crowd.
Video: Abe’s Funeral
Video footage also shows two bodyguards moving between Abe and the gunman, while two others run toward the gunman. That was the wrong reaction, according to Mitsuru Fukuda, professor of crisis management and terrorism. According to him, the security forces should have protected Abe instead of chasing the attacker.
‘Abe should have had bodyguards’
So is former police officer Yasuhiro Sasaki, a retired personal security specialist. There was not enough sense of danger: “Everyone was surprised and no one went where Abe was.” Otherwise, the number of four security forces would have been enough to prevent the assassination. According to a member of the US diplomatic security service, in such a situation, Abe should have let his own bodyguard “grab his belt and collar, shield him with his body and take him with him”.
Former Police Commissioner General Katsuhiko Ikeda also says the situation would have been very different if Abe’s security forces had been close enough to reach him in a second or two. Japan’s National Police, which oversees local law enforcement, admits mistakes: “There were also problems with the way the police were called in,” the agency said at Reuters’ request, without giving details.
The Nara Police Department, which is responsible for securing Abe’s campaign, told Reuters they were committed to a thorough investigation into security issues surrounding Abe’s death and declined to comment further.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
