Shinzo Abe's suspected assassin to undergo psychiatric evaluation, reports Japanese media

FILE PHOTO: Tetsuya Yamagami, suspected of killing former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, is escorted by a police officer as he is taken to prosecutors, at Nara-nishi police station in Nara, western Japan, in this photo taken by Kyodo July 10, 2022. - Kyodo via Reuters

TOKYO, July 23 (Reuters): The suspected assassin of Japanese former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will undergo psychiatric evaluation until later this year, Japanese media reported on Saturday.

Tetsuya Yamagami, an unemployed 41-year-old, has been identified by police as the suspect who approached Abe at a campaign speech on a street corner on July 8 and opened fire with a handmade gun.

A court in Nara in western Japan, where the suspect lived and the shooting occurred, granted prosecutors' request that Yamagami be held for psychiatric examination, the Nikkei and other media reported.

Nara prosecutors could not be reached for comment outside business hours.

The evaluation will last until Nov. 29, the Nikkei said, and will determine whether or not Yamagami will be indicted for shooting. - Reuters